


Ever Thine.

by GhostFan77



Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst and Feels, Angst and Humor, Character Death, Christmas, Conflict, Developing Relationship, Drama, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Face-Fucking, Family Drama, Heavy Angst, Kitchen Sex, Love/Hate, M/M, Medical Trauma, Movie Reference, Musical References, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Porn With Plot, Revelations, Sexual Content, Strained Relationships, Suspicions, Taint-Tickling, Teleportation, Thighs, Threesome - F/M/M, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2019-08-02 10:59:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 41,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16303889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostFan77/pseuds/GhostFan77
Summary: After the death of her husband, Lillian is befriended by two men: a mysterious green-eyed man, and his closest friend and ally, neither of whom are what they appear to be.Inspired by Beethoven's love letters to his "Immortal Beloved".Ever Thine. Ever Mine. Ever Ours.





	1. A Deal With the Devil's Own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Martin makes the ultimate sacrifice.

It all happened so fast. One minute, they were driving home from a friend’s Halloween party. The next, he was holding her hand in the back of an ambulance as they sped to the hospital, the situation looking dire as the paramedics struggled to maintain her pulse. They had been involved in a severe car accident, and while he had sustained only minimal injuries that would require a few stitches for his wounds, she bore the brunt of the impact and was now barely clinging to life. 

The doctors did what they could in the emergency room, and then in surgery where they tried to repair her various internal injuries. There was grievous damage done, and she had lost so much blood. She was put on life support in the ICU under near-constant supervision of the critical care staff, and he was told to prepare for the worst. 

Martin silently prayed to himself. Not necessarily to God as he had never been religious, but to anybody that was listening. And that was how he attracted the attention of one of the devil’s own. 

***

He’d been an agent of the devil for as long as he could recall. All of the men in his lineage had served in this role, including his two older brothers, the eldest of which was the current Papa Emeritus. He was the third in line for the title and would someday take over as head of the Church of Satan. For now, his official title was Archbishop Emeritus, but he was commonly known as Emeritus; Em to a select few. 

Em was the most benevolent and compassionate of his kind, and didn’t believe in preying on the weak; there were many feeble and troubled souls that would readily give their all in order to serve a higher power, even if said higher power was the Dark Lord. While plenty of the devil’s agents would target those individuals to boost the church’s recruitment numbers, Em chose quality over quantity, never taking advantage of anybody. He never misled or made any promises he couldn’t keep, and he always remained objective, giving his potentials enough information for them to arrive at an informed decision. 

He was personally responsible for the more famous members of the infamous “27 Club”, celebrities that had passed away during their 27th year. Em was fascinated by musicians and other artists, and the trappings of the celebrity life. All had chosen the path he offered to escape the pressure that their publicized and scrutinized existence exerted on them; their causes of death akin to what had afflicted them in their human lives. Em always felt a little bad about Kurt Cobain; the man was immensely talented but battled lifelong demons that he stood no chance against. He typically wouldn’t have offered a way out to somebody that damaged, but he knew what the future held for his family and bandmates. Dave Grohl wasn’t meant to stay behind his drum set forever, but would’ve if Kurt had survived. And Kurt and Courtney? Em shuddered at the thought of how their daughter would’ve eventually been without _both_ of her parents. Offering Kurt an “out” was the best case scenario for all. 

His favorite earthly past-time was indulging in sins of the flesh, and he was known to frequently put pleasure before business. This made him somewhat unpopular with certain members of the Clergy, and they would undoubtedly call his dedication and ability to lead into question when it was his time to assume the Papa title. The recruits he brought in were, however, top-notch, and they were always amongst the most devoted of the new followers. Add to it, the devil himself never complained. 

The fate of new recruits varied from person to person. Most would go to hell and serve their Dark Lord, while others would remain on earth and serve the church as brothers and sisters of sin. Some would go on to become devil’s agents like Em and his lineage, and a select few would become ghouls, the most elite servants of the church. 

Hell itself wasn’t nearly as horrible as evangelicals made it out to be. “Hotter than hell” wasn’t necessarily just an idiom, but some of the best vacation destinations on earth that were along or near the equator were comparable to hell on certain days. Nor was it an unending pit of despair, at least not for everyone. If you were a truly despicable individual that was deserving of an eternity of damnation, that’s what you would get. But if you were there on your own accord, it was actually quite blissful. 

The scape was, for lack of a better comparison, similar to the hell envisioned in the Adam Sandler movie _Little Nicky_ , minus Adam Sandler, of course, where the devil, his sons, and their minions lived in an underground castle, except it wasn’t an actual physical building; it was rather more of a construct that housed the multitude of worthy souls that served their Dark Lord. 

While he wasn’t entirely human, Em could pass as such. The black and white stylized skull markings on his face looked like a mask at first glance, but that was his true form. It was the appearance he took on when engaging in most of his trysts that was the actual mask. 

One night each year, however, he would roam in his full glory, and that was on Halloween when all sorts of creatures roamed the night, leaving him inconspicuous and able to blend in for once without causing alarm. And this was how he appeared to Martin after Em had heard his desperate pleas.

***

He sat in the ICU waiting area, just outside of her room. He could hear the assorted tones of _beeps_ coming from the multitude of medical equipment she was hooked up to, that currently kept her alive, along with the murmur of voices from ICU personnel. 

Martin was hunched forward, his elbows resting on his thighs, his head in his hands. He had already called their family and friends, and although it was late, their loved ones were en route to the hospital. This might be their only opportunity to say “good-bye” to her. 

He heard somebody enter the waiting area, sitting down across from him. The individual sat back and crossed one leg over the other, and Martin could sense that he was being observed. 

And then Martin heard the individual speak. 

“It looks like you’ve had a rough night,” the man said gently in an accented voice. 

He rubbed his forehead, and then lifted his head towards the stranger, who appeared to still be wearing his Halloween costume. “Yes, very rough night. My wife…” 

The masked stranger sighed sympathetically. “I’m sorry about your wife, Martin. That is why I’m here.” 

Martin’s head perked up, and his eyes blinked, searching for recognition. “Do I know you…?” 

The stranger offered a half-smile, and then he shrugged. “You do not know me, per se, but you do know the one I serve. Your prayers were heard, and I’ve come to help you.” 

Martin’s eyes narrowed and his mouth opened and closed as he searched for words but found none. 

The stranger introduced himself and provided Martin with a Cliff’s Notes explanation of who he was, whom he served, and how he could help. But like everything, the deal he offered carried a price. 

“You’re aware that she’s with child, Martin, but you do not yet know that she’s carrying your son. If you choose to take my deal, you will die as you are known to your loved ones, but live on in a different form as a ghoul that serves our church. Your wife will live to see your great-grandchildren, and your son’s life will be long, happy, and full of success.” 

Em’s face grew grave. “However, if you choose not to take my deal, I cannot disclose your fate, but I can tell you this: they will not survive the night. And you would have to live with that for as long as you shall live, Martin.” 

Hot tears ran down Martin’s cheeks. There wasn’t much of a decision to make as far as he was concerned, but he did have a few questions. 

“W-Will I remember them or be able to see them again…?” 

Em sighed and shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Martin. Your memories of this life will die with your human form, and you would not recognize your wife and child if you were to see them, nor would they be able to recognize you as you will take on a different appearance.”

He explained the transformation that Martin would undergo, how ghouls took on a new human form and developed special abilities based on their determined element, along with the capability to transform into a more traditional ghoulish appearance with sharp teeth, claws, and a tail. 

Martin’s brows knit together. “Will the transformation hurt?” 

“No, Martin,” Em said gently. “You will not be conscious for that.” 

Martin nodded as his decision was made: his soul for the lives of his wife and their unborn son. 

“May I say good-bye to her, Emeritus?” 

Em stands up and gestures towards the door. “Please, by all means, Martin. I wouldn’t want to deprive you of that opportunity.” 

He rises from the chair and strides towards her room; Em followed, stopping in the doorway to give Martin some privacy. 

Aside from Martin and his wife (and Em in the doorway), the room was empty and would’ve been silent if not for the life-sustaining machinery. 

Em turns away; no matter how long he had been doing this, moments like this still wrenched his blackened heart. 

A few minutes later, Martin joined Em by the door. 

“What does she name him, Emeritus?” 

Em turns around to face Martin, smiling softly. “His name will be Martin.” 

Martin’s eyes well with tears, and he nods that he’s ready for what’s next. 

Emeritus put his hands upon his new recruit, and flashes of the life Martin had lived up until now race through his mind, followed by a montage of the life that he would’ve lived had the events of this fateful night not occurred. The birth of their son, a strong and sturdy newborn with Martin’s eyes. The boy taking his first steps towards Martin while she follows behind him, her hands covering her mouth with tears of happiness streaking her cheeks. The three of them at the zoo when their son is a bit older, riding on Martin’s shoulders as the boy watches the animals in awe. Their son’s first day of kindergarten, getting on the school bus for the first time, turning around to wave at Martin and his wife from the top step. So many scenes showing the passage of time, culminating in Martin’s final moments before his death, with his family surrounding him, his wife now old and gray, but still with her beautiful smile as she caressed his cheek and told him it was okay to go. 

And then, there was nothing. 

***

Omega awoke in a cold sweat, sitting straight up in his bed with his heart racing and seemingly trying to escape his chest. He raked his fingers through his hair. “What the fuck was that…?” he mumbled to himself, neither expecting nor receiving a response. 

He shook his head and looked at his alarm clock; it was almost four in the morning. He was wide awake, knowing it would be futile to remain in bed as there would be no more sleep for him. 

Omega tossed back his covers, and swung his legs over the side of the bed, his bare feet landing on the cold floor. He turned on the light on the nightstand next to his bed, slipping on a pair of shoes and grabbing a jacket so he could go for a walk in the woods and hopefully catch the morning’s first light. 

He sat in the damp grass on the edge of the forest that bordered the church and living quarters, not caring that his pajama pants were getting wet from the dew. He drew his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, watching as the sun made its debut for this new day. He closed his eyes, and he could see her radiant smile, the woman from his dream. She was cuddled next to a man as they watched the sunrise, and he could almost feel her body against his, her soft eyes looking into his while she beamed up at him or whoever this unknown man was that felt a lot like him. 

He felt a pang in his heart, a love so deep he could feel it in every ounce of his being, an unfamiliar and unsettling feeling for Omega. He felt love for her, and he felt loved by her. And then she was gone, and he felt empty inside. 

_Who is this woman…?_ he thought to himself. _And why is she haunting me like this?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a couple of things:
> 
> The title was inspired by Beethoven's love letters to his "Immortal Beloved", which ended with _"Ever thine. Ever mine. Ever ours."_ I've always found the letters haunting, especially those final words.  
>  https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/10/12/immortal-beloved-beethoven-love-letters/
> 
> To better understand my _Little Nicky_ reference, please watch the following clip, specifically the scene starting at 2:12. And yes, I really did make reference to an Adam Sandler movie in a story like this ;) https://youtu.be/c8i2coaADtw


	2. Keeping It In the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lillian has a visitor as the fifteen year anniversary of Martin's death nears.

Fifteen years had passed by in the blink of an eye, and her cheeks turned pink as she thought of the only two men who had touched her in that _special_ way since her husband had passed away. One was a handsome and somewhat mysterious man that had befriended her not long after Martin’s death, and he always seemed to turn up just when she needed him the most. They had been friends for a few years before their friendship had taken a sexual turn; her blush intensified and her face burned as she thought about all of the sinful things he could do with his tongue. 

Her other lover…well, that was a bit more complicated. 

Lillian looked herself over in the mirror as she prepared for his arrival, admiring the black lace bra and panties she had purchased earlier in the week with tonight in mind. She rubbed at the laugh lines that had formed at the corners of her eyes over the years, and then took a closer look at what appeared to be a grey hair amongst her locks. Upon further inspection, it was just the way the light shone on her hair, and Lillian sighed in relief, not yet prepared to deal with that. At 36, she definitely wasn’t old but she certainly felt like it at times, especially when she considered that her son would be turning fifteen within the next six months. 

She sighed to herself as she thought about Martin, grateful that he was at a friend’s house for the weekend. She wasn’t ready for her son to know about this, much less anybody else in the family. They had agreed to keep it to themselves, knowing that nothing would ever come of it; they cared for each other deeply and felt love for each other, but they weren’t _in love_ , nor did they want to be together. It was one of those things that had just _happened_ , and they were just going to enjoy it while it lasted. 

Lillian ran her hands over her breasts and then down her abdomen, her hands tracing the faint scars that lingered from so long ago. Her brows knit together as she thought about how when she was brought out of her medically-induced coma, she had instantly known her husband was gone. The proposition of being a widow and a new mother at 21 years of age was an overwhelming one, but she persisted with help from both sides of the family. She had even managed to complete her college courses early to ensure her degree was completed by the time her son was born, and she walked in the graduation ceremony with her class when he was only a month old. 

Her wandering thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the bedroom door. Lillian took one final glance in the mirror, turned toward the door, crossed the room, and then stopped with her hand on the knob. She put her ear to the door. 

“Who’s there…?”

She heard him chuckle. “Who do you think it is?” 

Lillian smiles to herself, and then turns the knob, pulling the door open. 

“Were you expecting somebody else, Lil?” he asks with a deliciously mischievous smile on his lips. 

She hums to herself in playful contemplation. “Not tonight, Arvid.” 

He laughs as he walks into the room, the door closing behind him. He knew she had another lover and had for quite some time; his nephew had told him as much, not knowing that his Uncle Arvid was _also_ involved with his mom. She had gently spurned his advances for years, citing their age difference and that, despite his brother’s death, she was still his sister-in-law. 

Arvid had had a crush on her for as long as he could remember. During his teenage years, while all of his friends were masturbating to photos and videos of assorted actresses and models, he was pleasuring himself to thoughts of Lillian. 

The sexual shift in their relationship came about innocently enough. Arvid had paid Lillian a visit on what would’ve been her fifteenth wedding anniversary with his brother. She had grown emotional after a few glasses of wine, and they spooned on the sofa as he comforted her, the big spoon to her little spoon. He had allowed his mind to wander to dangerous places with her in such close proximity, and his body had reacted as such before he was able to rein his thoughts in. Before he knew it, they were both half naked, and she was bouncing on his cock. 

It had come as a huge surprise to both of them; mainly to Lillian, really, but Arvid was still plenty shocked that it had _finally_ happened, that it had _actually_ happened, and then that it _kept_ happening. They agreed to continue as long as they both kept getting something out of it, and they did: orgasms. Lots and lots of orgasms. 

And orgasms were plentiful on this night as they had been on every other. As they lay in their post-coital afterglow, Arvid rested his head on her stomach, tracing her scars, feeling the slightly raised surface under his fingertips as she watched him. He met her eyes as he pressed his lips against the faint marks. 

“So, fifteen years on Thursday?” he softly queried. 

Lillian sighed as she nodded. “Yeah…” 

“Did you take the day off from work?” 

She responded with another nod. 

“Do you want me to go to the graveyard with you, Lil?” 

“Thanks Arvid, but I like keeping the day to myself,” she responded with a sadness-tinged smile. 

He knit his brows together as he nodded, shifting his eyes from hers back to her old scars. “Of course. But if you change your mind, I’m just a text away.” 

Arvid already knew in the back of his mind that she wouldn’t; he still wanted to make the offer though. He was only ten when his brother passed away, but Arvid and Martin had been close despite their eleven year age difference, and he idolized him. His older brother had been a skilled guitarist, playing in assorted bands with his friends until his untimely death. Arvid had tried to pick up the guitar, wanting to be just like his brother, trying to keep his memory alive, but he ultimately settled on the drums, feeling much more at home behind a drum kit with drumsticks in his hands than he ever did with a guitar. And he knew somehow that Martin would’ve approved. 

***

The day was a reminder of what she could’ve lost, and of what she had lost. The future they had planned to spend together, gone in the blink of an eye. Lillian sat on the grass in silence with her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs, facing the black granite tombstone that bore their names. She found it oddly comforting to know she would permanently be back at his side someday, but finding it strange to see her name already engraved in a headstone when she was young and still so full of life. 

Lillian looked at her left hand, twisting the wedding ring on her finger. She had stopped wearing her ring long ago, but still wore it on four occasions every year: his birthday, their engagement day, their anniversary, and Halloween, the anniversary of his death. She didn’t know how long she’d been sitting there, nor did she care; this was her time with Martin, and she would be there until she was ready to leave. She felt a cool breeze around her, playing with her hair, and she closed her eyes for a moment, imagining it was her husband with his fingers in her hair and not just the wind. 

After awhile, she decides it’s time to leave. She repositions herself so she’s on her knees, and she moves towards the headstone. Lillian kisses her fingers, and then traces the letters of his name. 

“Oh Martin…I miss you so much,” she sighs to herself as a few tears run down her cheeks. “…and I’ll always love you.” 

She leans forward and presses her lips against the cool stone, and then rises to her feet. Lillian takes one final look at her husband’s tombstone, mouthing the words etched at the bottom:

_Ever thine. Ever mine. Ever ours._

***

It seemed like this was the new norm for Omega’s dreams. Always the same woman. Tonight, she was in a graveyard, visiting a loved one’s gravesite. He couldn’t make out the last name, but he thought the person’s first name was “Marvin” or “Martin”. He was grateful it wasn’t a dream that caused him to awaken suddenly as some others had recently. 

Omega sighed as he put his hands behind his head, looking up into the darkness above him. He turns his head to the left, eyeing the sleeping form next to him as he contemplated waking his companion, but deciding against it. He could still see her sad eyes and tear-stained cheeks, the woman from his dreams, and it tugged at his heart. He didn’t know who she was, but Omega wanted nothing more than to hold her, to comfort her, and maybe, just _maybe_ , to love her.


	3. The Cardinal and the Ghoul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Omega tries to enjoy some solitude before Ghost goes back on tour.

He walked through the forest with his ringed hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket, breathing in the fresh and brisk April air, knowing it would be one of his last opportunities to do so as Ghost would soon be embarking on their next tour. 

The Ghost Project had started as an initiative led by the eldest Emeritus brother during his time as the leader of the church to covertly increase awareness and boost membership. The Clergy had been hesitant at first, but soon gave their full backing to the cause once they saw the potential in it. The younger Emeritus brothers had been involved behind the scenes since the beginning and would eventually lead the project themselves once they assumed the Papa title. 

The middle brother had actually taken over for their older brother within the past year as Papa Emeritus II with the release of the band’s _Infestissumam_ album, but he was indifferent about the project, equally enjoying and loathing the additional exposure to humanity, while the youngest, now Cardinal Emeritus, quite simply _could not wait_ to be on stage in front of the band’s adoring fans that had unwittingly opened their hearts and minds to the Satanic cause. 

It was a genius plan, really: lull the masses with beautifully haunting and hypnotic music and lyrics and get them hooked while allowing them to safely believe it was all a schtick, all the while it was all real and they were actively recruiting followers for their Dark Lord. It was as easy as taking candy from a baby as they led these corrupted lambs down a darker but more satisfying path, allowing them to seek out more if they so desired. And if not, they were none the wiser.

The Ghost Project was also a previously unrealized revenue stream for the church. While they had been in the red for most of their relatively short history, projections showed that they should be in the black within the next fiscal year. 

Omega had been tapped for the project in its earliest stages due to his guitar-playing skills. Church recruits who had exhibited special talents during their human lives retained those abilities in case they were ever needed so that they could be put to use to benefit the church. He spent much of his free time honing his skills, experimenting with his human fingers and his ghoulish fingers, quickly finding that his sharp claws wreaked too much havoc on the guitar strings. Human fingers it was, he had swiftly decided. 

He approached the western edge of the forest, seeing that he’d made it in time to catch the sunset. Omega made himself comfortable on the chilled grass, laying on his side, propped up on an elbow, with one leg crossed over the other. He fiddled with a few blades of grass as he watched the magnificent colors in the sky. He could feel her at the edge of his mind, almost able to see her smile, but not wanting to feel the emptiness that followed when her image had faded. A line formed between his eyebrows as he silently weighed his options, ultimately giving in and closing his eyes so he could see the scene that was about to play out in his mind. And there she was, standing with her back facing an unknown man that, as always, felt a lot like him, and his arms were wrapped around her as they stood at the edge of a lake, watching the sunset. He nestled his chin in the crook of her neck and watched as the corner of her mouth pulled into a smile.

But before he could see more, he was interrupted by approaching footsteps, followed by a familiar voice. 

“I thought I might find you out here…” 

Omega’s eyes opened and he craned his neck to see Em emerging from the woods. He nodded his head in regards. 

“Cardinal Emeritus…” 

Em sighed as he stopped behind Omega. “My dear Omega, you know you needn’t use formalities when we’re outside of the confines of the church.” 

The corners of Omega’s mouth rose into a smile. “I know, Em. I’m just giving you the respect that you deserve.” 

He smiled down at the Quintessence Ghoul before turning his attention to the last remnants of the sunset. 

“I forget how lovely it is out here…” 

The youngest Emeritus brother was Omega’s closest friend in the church. Although he did not remember anything of his human existence, he was aware that Em was the one that had given him his ghoulish life, and they had a very tight bond. The Aether Ghoul had been loyal to Papa I and faithfully served Papa II currently, but it was to Em that his allegiance was sworn. 

As for Cardinal Emeritus, Omega was his staunchest ally, defender, and protector, not to mention devoted friend and lover. 

Omega sighs, but doesn’t respond. His turns his head upwards to look at Em, who was dressed far more casually than normal in his black KISS hoodie and a pair of dark grey sweatpants. Omega had picked up the hoodie for Em the last time the band was on the road, and he loved the rare occasions that he wore it. 

Em crossed his arms and shivered as he looked down at Omega. “Aren’t you cold? It’s freezing out here.” 

Omega shrugged and then shook his head. “No, not really.” 

Em rolls his eyes and smirks. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were part fire ghoul.” 

The Quintessence Ghoul chuckles as he mischievously raises an eyebrow. “Maybe you should come down here so I can help keep you warm, Em…”

Perhaps a little too eagerly, Em moves to be in front of Omega, and then joins him on the ground, backing in against his Aether Ghoul’s solid form. Omega drapes his free arm over Em, pulling the smaller man in tight against his body. 

He nestles his chin in the crook of Em’s neck, and then whispers, “Is that better?” 

The Cardinal hummed in approval. “Much better, thank you.” 

Omega soon felt Em push his ass against his crotch and grind. “Em…?” 

“I want you to fuck me,” Em implored, his voice full of need. 

The guitarist could feel his body responding to the Cardinal’s movements. He adjusted his upper body slightly, and then tilted Em’s head so their lips could meet. Omega broke the kiss and looked into the Cardinal’s mismatched eyes as he slowly ground his rapidly hardening cock against the other man’s ass. “You want this cock, Emeritus?” 

“Yesssssss,” Em hissed at him. 

Em proceeded to shed his sweats in order to give his Quintessence Ghoul access to his ass, while Omega pushed his pants down around his thighs, freeing his rigid length. He wraps his hand around the base, guiding his cock between Em’s cheeks, teasing the Cardinal’s opening. 

Em reaches into his hoodie’s pouch pocket and produces a small bottle of lube, offering it to Omega. 

The Aether Ghoul chuckles, and then playfully nips at Em’s earlobe. “You had this all planned, didn’t you?” 

“Mmmmm-hmmmm,” was Em’s response. 

Omega took the bottle, flipping the cap open and squeezing some lube onto his fingers, which he used to prepare Em to take his cock. He ran his fingers over the tight pucker of Em’s entrance, slickening the skin, and then pushed a finger in. Em moaned obscenely as he fucked himself on the guitarist’s thick digit. The Quintessence Ghoul withdrew his finger, but quickly replaced it with two. The Cardinal picked up where he had left off, getting off on his lover’s digits. 

“Such a needy little Cardinal you are, Em…” Omega teased. “Such a whore for ghoul cock…”

Omega removed his fingers again before adding a third and final digit to his lover’s hole, scissoring his fingers to open the Cardinal enough to accommodate his girth. They’d fucked a countless number of times over the years, and it never ceased to amaze the Quintessence Ghoul how tight Em remained, how it always felt like it was his first time having a cock in his sinfully tight ass. 

“Only for yours, my Quintessence,” Em breathlessly moaned. “Now please, _please_ fuck me!”

The Aether Ghoul loved hearing Emeritus plea for his cock like this, his usually-proud Cardinal reduced to shamelessly moaning and begging putty in his strong hands. 

Omega removed his fingers from Em, drizzled some additional lube on his cock, gave it a few strokes to ensure the surface was amply covered, and plunged into the Cardinal without warning. Em’s breathing hitched, and he temporarily went rigid as his eyes rolled back in his head; he quickly recovered, however, letting out the most obscene moan imaginable as his body relaxed and he began fucking himself silly on his Quintessence Ghoul’s phallus. 

The early night air was filled with the sounds of heavy breathing, moaning, and skin slapping against skin. Both men had wriggled out of their remaining clothes as to feel more of each other, and they had changed positions. The Cardinal chest down, Omega’s jacket the only thing separating him from the cool ground, with his arms being held above his head and Omega holding them there, the Aether Ghoul’s body pressed against his lover’s back, Em’s ass propped up with their clothing heaped together under his hips to give the Quintessence Ghoul better access.

The Cardinal repeatedly cried out Omega’s name, pleading with him to fuck him harder even though his ass was already taking quite the punishing that would certainly having him moving gingerly over the next day or two. The Aether Ghoul dug deep within and added an extra intensity to his thrusts, leaving Emeritus feeling like he was having an out-of-body experience. 

Omega could feel a familiar coil building as his balls tightened; he knew he wouldn’t last much longer. He warned Em that he was about to cum, gave a few final thrusts, and then grunted as he buried himself to the hilt, unloading his hot seed deep in the Cardinal’s ass. 

The Quintessence Ghoul releases Em’s arms, and Em moves them to rest his head against his clasped hands while Omega rests his forehead against the Cardinal’s cheek that was facing him. 

“Did you cum, Em…?” Omega asks as he collects himself. 

Em turns his head a bit so he can make eye contact with Omega. “No, but I’m pretty sure I experienced what people say when they’ve ‘died and gone to heaven’. Please don’t tell anybody as I’d surely never be able to show my face in hell again…!” 

The Cardinal smirks as the Aether Ghoul chuckles. 

The two men shift positions, and Omega uses his hand to make Em cum before they get dressed and return to the living quarters, spending the night in the Cardinal’s room because it was nicer and his bed more comfortable. 

As he slept, Omega saw her again in his dreams. This time, she was in his arms, and they were in a post-coital afterglow. Her head was on his chest as he played with her hair, twirling it around his fingers. She lifted her head to look up at him, her lips spreading into her usual radiant smile. And again, she was gone. 

In a brief moment of consciousness, a name comes to Omega, and he whispers it aloud. “Lillian…” 

On the other side of the bed, Em’s eyes crack open and a line appears between his brows. 

He’d heard Omega say many things in his sleep over the years, but never the name of anybody from his human life. 

Especially not his wife.


	4. The Dinner Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Martin's birthday approaches, he and Lillian have a guest over for dinner.

It was a few days before Martin’s 15th birthday, and they were expecting a guest for an early birthday dinner. As she was setting the table in the dining room, Lillian looked towards her son in the living room, who sat with his legs crossed on the sofa, quietly working on his trigonometry homework. She thought to herself how Martin was the perfect combination of her and the father he never knew; his smile, intelligence, and curiosity were her contributions to the young man, and his eyes, structure, and musical aptitude coming from his father. 

Lillian was pulled out of her thoughts by a knock at the door. Martin puts his trig book and notebook on the cushion next to him, uncrosses his legs, and stands up before walking to the front door. He opens the door and greets their guest with a big smile on his face. 

“Tobias!” 

Martin gives Tobias a hug and then steps back so their guest can enter. 

“Hey kid…happy birthday!” He tousles Martin’s hair like he has for the boy’s entire life, except now he has to reach up rather than down to accomplish the task. 

Martin chuckles as he smoothes his hair back into place, and then takes notice of the guitar case that Tobias is carrying. “What’s that…?” 

Tobias gives him a mischievous smile, a twinkle in his green eyes. “Your birthday present. Just a little something I managed to snag for you. If your mom’s okay with it, you can open it now.” 

Martin looks over at his mom, who was approaching from the dining room. Tobias wraps an arm around her waist and kisses her cheek. “Mind if he opens it, Lil?” 

Lillian shakes her head with a smile. “No, go right ahead, Martin.” 

Tobias hands the guitar case to Martin, who sits down on the sofa with the case on his lap. He flips the latches on the well-worn case, opening the lid to reveal a black guitar with a familiar white symbol on its body: Ω. 

Martin’s eyes widen and his jaw drops as he runs his fingers over the Omega symbol. Tobias looks on with a smile on his face, while Lillian tries to figure out the significance of the guitar that has rendered her son speechless. 

The boy finally looks up at Tobias with a look of awe on his face. “Was this really his…?” 

Tobias gestures towards the guitar. “Flip it over, Martin. See for yourself.” 

Martin takes the guitar in his hands, gently turning it over, seeing a personalized birthday greeting from his favorite guitarist on the back plate:

_Happy Birthday, Martin! Hope to see you playing this live in concert someday! All the best, Ω_

“Holy shit…” Martin whispers. “How…?” 

Tobias chuckles. “Let’s just say that I have my sources. Do you like it?” 

The boy’s eyes dart back and forth between Tobias and the guitar before him. “ _Like it? I LOVE it!_ This is amazing, Tobias!” Martin shakes his head in disbelief. “Did mom tell you that she’s taking me to the Ghost concert on Saturday? They’re here on my actual birthday. How awesome is that?” 

Tobias raises his eyebrows as he looks at Lillian. “I could’ve gotten you tickets, Lillian.” 

Lillian shrugs. “I didn’t know that you were my Ghost connection, Tobias. Besides, I have my own connections.” She winks at him with a smirk. “I don’t have to rely on you for _everything_.” 

He chuckles. “Let’s talk later, okay? Dinner smells delicious, by the way. What did you make?” 

She turns her attention back to Tobias as she had been watching her son continue to check out his new guitar. “Eggplant parmigiana. Martin’s request. Shall we?” 

Martin looks up at Lillian as he sets the guitar back in its case. “Mom, can I go upstairs after dinner?” 

She nods with a smile. “Of course. Now let’s go eat, okay?” 

After dinner, Martin profusely thanks Tobias for the guitar, and then runs upstairs with his guitar and schoolbag in tow. A few minutes later, Tobias smiles as he hears Martin playing his new guitar along with a familiar tune, _Ritual_. 

He helps Lillian clear the table, and then with the dishes. She washes them, and Tobias dries and puts them away. After putting the plates in the cupboard, Tobias steps behind Lillian, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his body against her back. “I missed you,” he whispers in her ear after he slowly kisses his way from her shoulder up her neck. 

She tilts her head in the opposite direction to give him better access to her neck, but turns her head slightly to see him out of the corner of her eye. “Didn’t we just see each other last week…?” 

Tobias smirks and shrugs. “I suppose we did, but it doesn’t mean I missed you any less, Lillian. Now, where was I…?” 

She giggles as he turns his attention back to her neck, pushing her hair out of the way so his lips are unimpeded. Lillian closes her eyes and sighs as she feels his hot breath, lips, and tongue against her neck, but her mind wanders elsewhere. “How did you get that guitar, Tobias?” 

Tobias shushes her. “We’ll talk after we’re done here, _ma Chérie_.

Lillian protests a bit because her son is upstairs, concerned that he could walk in on them. 

Tobias runs his tongue along her neck, takes her earlobe between his lips, and then whispers in her ear, “It’s as simple as this: as long as we hear music coming from upstairs, we’re fine. If the music stops, then we stop. Okay?” 

She contemplates briefly and then concedes, as it really was that easy. 

Tobias guides her away from the sink, bending her over the dark grey granite top of the kitchen island. He hikes her dress up around her hips, and then sinks to his knees behind her. He puts a hand on each of her ass cheeks, giving them a squeeze, and then playfully bites each, causing Lillian to giggle; he couldn’t help but smile and chuckle himself.

He grabs her panties and pulls them down around her ankles, and she steps out of them. He brings the purple lace thong to his nose and inhales her scent. A small moan of approval escapes his lips before he stuffs the panties in his pants pocket; they’re his now. 

Tobias slides his fingers between her glistening pink lips, not surprised to find that she’s already wet for him. “Tell me what you want, Lil: my tongue, or my fingers?” 

Lillian moans as he teases her clit with the tip of his tongue. “Both…I want both. First your tongue, and then your fingers, please…”

He chuckles before he playfully bites an ass cheek again. “Greedy girl, aren’t you? But because you asked so nicely…” 

He dives in, laying assault to her sopping cunt with his tongue, lapping up her juices as he quickly brings Lillian to her first orgasm. Tobias gives her only a moment to recover before his fingers find her G-spot and skillfully extract a second orgasm, leaving her panting against the countertop. 

Tobias rises to his feet, his hands moving to quickly unbutton and unzip his pants and push them off his hips. They fall around his feet to the laminate flooring as he takes his hard cock in hand, sliding it between her folds, rubbing the head against her clit. She moans in approval but wants more, _needs more_ , begging him to fuck her; who is he to deny her of that pleasure? 

He lines himself up at her entrance, easing himself in until the fronts of his thighs are touching the backs of hers. Both moan at the supernal sensation as he slowly grinds himself against her. Tobias takes to fucking her with rhythmic thrusts, his hands tightly gripping her hips. His thrusts grow faster and more erratic as he feels her walls spasm involuntarily around his cock periodically at first, and then more and more frequently until she was in the midst of her third orgasm, causing him fall over his own orgasmic cliff, depositing his hot seed deep inside of Lillian. 

They clean themselves up a bit, and then finish the dishes. Afterwards, they make themselves comfortable on the sofa, Lillian with her legs up on the ottoman, Tobias lying down with his head on her lap as she ran her fingers through his dark hair. 

He closes his eyes and smiles lopsidedly, enjoying how her fingers felt in his hair. “So, you want to hear about the guitar…?” 

She looks down at him with a soft but curious expression on her face. “Yeah. I mean, that was quite the gift, Tobias. How in the world were you able to get your hands on it?” 

Tobias sighs, thinking to himself that he should’ve known this would raise questions with Lillian, just as it had raised questions with Omega when he attempted to procure this gift for Martin before the rhythm guitarist and his bandmates left for their tour. 

And to add to it, Lillian taking Martin to the upcoming ritual could potentially complicate an already complicated situation. 

***

“So, tell me again why you’re giving somebody my guitar?” 

“Because it’s their birthday, Omega.”

“And who exactly is this kid, Em?”

The Cardinal sighs and rolls his eyes. He’d hoped to accomplish this without Omega giving him the third degree; he gave up that hope ten minutes into this half hour and counting conversation. What’s he supposed to say? _It’s for the son you never met, Omega. He’s a huge Ghost fan, and you’re his favorite guitarist. He started playing the guitar because of you, and he’s in a band with his friends. And you know what? His playing has come along exceptionally well, and you’d be proud of the kid._

He shakes his head at his internal dialogue. No, he definitely cannot open that can of worms. However…

“He’s the son of a dear friend, and he’s also a big fan of yours, Omega.” Em sat down on the bed next to Omega, putting his hand on his ghoul’s thigh and giving it a squeeze. “He even started playing the guitar because of you. Do you know how much this would mean to him?” he said gently, choosing his words carefully and telling the Quintessence Ghoul the truth without telling him the _entire truth_. 

Omega acquiesced to the Cardinal’s request. He cocked an eyebrow at the man next to him. “Sounds like a pretty cool kid, Em.” 

Em smiles and nods as he hands Omega a silver Sharpie. “He’s a very cool kid, my dear Omega. Thank you for doing this.” 

The Aether Ghoul takes the permanent marker, and asks what he should write. 

The Cardinal sighs as he contemplates for a moment, deciding on _Happy Birthday, Martin! Hope to see you playing this live in concert someday! All the best, Ω_.

There’s a flicker in Omega’s mind as he writes the boy’s name, Martin, and he wonders if this could possibly be connected to the gravesite dream he had had awhile back. _But how…?_ he wonders.

Omega puts the guitar in its case once he’s done signing it. 

“Do you remember saying something in your sleep the other night?” the Cardinal cautiously asked. 

The Quintessence Ghoul looks at the other man. “Em, I say a lot of things in my sleep. You’ve told me as much. What did I say this time?” Omega tried to appear nonchalant, but he knew exactly what the Cardinal was talking about: Lillian. 

Em’s brows were knit together in a concerned fashion. “You said a name, Omega.” 

He gestures towards the smaller man to elaborate. “And…?” 

“It was a woman’s name.” 

Omega again gestures towards the Cardinal to elaborate. “And…?” 

Em stands up, clasping his hands behind his back, and paces about Omega’s room with the rhythm guitarist’s eyes following him. “Is there anything you’d like to tell me, my dear Quintessence?” 

The rhythm guitarist shrugs as he rakes his fingers through his hair. “Not really, no. Why? You make it seem like there was some significance to this name, Emeritus.” 

The Cardinal sighs as he continues to pace. “There may have been, Omega, but I cannot tell you why. And I need to warn you for your own good: it’s not a thread you want to pull on.”

Omega blinks as he tries to digest Em’s words. “Was that...was that a threat, Em?” 

Emeritus drops on his knees in front of the Aether Ghoul, taking the rhythm guitarist’s hands in his. “No, Omega. Definitely not. I’m just trying to protect you from yourself.”

A line forms between Omega’s brows, and he shakes his head. “I don’t understand-“

Em squeezes his hands. “Just understand that you need to trust me on this, Quintessence.”

Omega’s head drops. “Em, I’ve been having these…these dreams. I don’t know who she is, but I can feel her. Do you know who she is?” 

The Cardinal sighs. “I do, Omega, but I cannot tell you any more than that.” 

“Is she from my previous life, Emeritus?” Omega lifts his head to look Em in the eyes. 

“Quintessence, you know I cannot talk about your human life,” he gently scolds. “It’s strictly forbidden.” 

Omega narrows his eyes. “Am I remembering parts of it, Em? Has this happened to anybody else?” 

Emeritus sighs and nods. “Yes, I’ve heard of it happening, and no good ever came of it, my dear Omega, which is why I’m trying to protect you, and why you need to listen to me.” 

“Wh-what happened to these ghouls?” 

“They are no longer with us in the church, nor were they allowed to resume their human lives. They are serving our Dark Lord in a different capacity.” The Cardinal’s face contorted as he thought of the atrocities those souls must be experiencing. “It’s in a capacity I don’t want you to find yourself in, Quintessence. So please, for your own good, ignore these dreams. And I know it’s difficult, but please forget that this woman exists.” 

***

Tobias realized that Lillian was still waiting for an explanation; he didn’t know how long he had allowed his mind to drift to other places, trying to figure out how to protect his Quintessence Ghoul and keep him from the woman he was married to in his human life. 

He clears his throat. “I haven’t really told you much about my family, have I?” 

She shakes her head. “No, not really. You’ve mentioned a couple of brothers, but that’s about it.” 

Tobias nods. “Which is correct. I do have two brothers, the eldest of whom started the Ghost Project, Lillian. That is my connection to the band, and that’s how I was able to get the guitar for Martin. My other brother is the current leader of the band, and someday I will take his place.” 

Lillian whistles under her breath. “That’s amazing, Tobias. Your parents must be very proud.” 

He chuckles. “Eh, no…not really, unfortunately. Our father is very difficult to please, and whatever we do, it’s never enough.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said with a frown. 

Tobias waves his hand dismissively. “Oh, it’s no big deal. We’re all used to it, Lillian. It’s just the dynamics of our family. I should also tell you that if you happen to see my brother out of his costume, you will find that he looks considerably like me.”

The Emeritus brothers had been using the same human form to represent Ghost’s front man “out of costume”, giving the appearance that—while there had been a Papa I and a Papa II—they were the same person beneath their costumes. Tobias somewhat regretted that he had chosen to appear to Lillian in this form when they first met; none of the brothers had ever been in a predicament before where they needed to explain this to anybody, and it was Em that had put himself in this position. 

Lillian’s eyes narrow. “Are you and your brother twins?” 

Tobias shakes his head. “Triplets, actually. Identical triplets. And I know how this will sound, but our parents named us all ‘Tobias’ so they wouldn’t have to try to tell us apart. And they also made us dress the same and have the same hairstyle, never allowing us to have any individuality. We all managed to develop distinct personalities, much to our parents’ chagrin, as I think they had hoped we’d be so similar, that we were like one person.” 

“That’s quite the story, Tobias…” 

He chuckles. “Like I said, Lillian, I know how it sounds. But it’s the truth. _This_ is why I don’t talk about my family!”

He knew his explanation wasn’t the best or most plausible, and he hated lying to Lillian, but he was still hopeful that she bought his little sob story. 

“If you happen to meet my brother, he’s kind of an asshole, Lil. Both of my brothers are. Me, I’m much more of a-“

“A lover than a fighter, Tobias?” she interjects. 

Tobias chuckles. “Yes, very much so! But if you happen to meet him, don’t be surprised if he tries to sleep with you. He’s just kind of like that, which is one of the few things we have in common, come to think of it…” 

She laughs as he grimaces at his realization, and then he continues. “But just know that it’s not me, and—more importantly—that I’m far better in bed than he is.” 

Lillian giggles as she leans over Tobias to give him a kiss. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, Tobias. But I don’t think we were planning on trying to meet the band. Although now Martin might want to thank…what’s his name?” 

“Omega.” 

“Ah, yes…Omega. Well, Martin might want to thank him for the guitar, but I’ll leave that up to him.” 

Tobias managed to remain expressionless, but on the inside, he was furious with himself for potentially doing the exact opposite of what he was trying to. He had encouraged his Quintessence Ghoul to forget that Lillian existed, yet he was almost presenting her to Omega on a silver platter. And not just Lillian, but their son as well! This had disaster written all over it. 

He was going to need help, and although it would open him up to a lengthy lecture, he knew just who to ask.


	5. The Dark Pope and the Cardinal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emeritus pays one of his brothers a visit.

It was the opening night of Tour Year Zero 2014, and Papa Emeritus II could sense his brother’s presence in the venue before the band had even finished _Monstrance Clock_. He bowed and gave a final wave to the audience, and then he left the stage, following the ghouls as they headed towards the dressing rooms. 

Alpha hung back for a moment while his brothers entered their room. He stopped the leader of their church and band as he was about to walk into his own dressing room.

“Papa, do you want to go grab a drink and get some pussy before we head out?” 

The middle Emeritus brother contemplated for a moment before answering. “Not tonight, Alpha. I have some business to attend to. You and your brothers should leave without me. I will be along when I’m able.” 

Alpha nods without further questioning the Dark Pope, and then disappears into the ghouls’ dressing room. 

Upon entering his own room, he sees his younger brother sprawled on the sofa, eating a cluster of green grapes from the fruit tray the venue’s hospitality team had left earlier. 

“ _Il mio fratellino_ , to what do I owe the dishonor?” Papa says dryly to the Cardinal. 

“I thought you’d be happy to see me, _fratello_ …” Em responds, acting as if he was wounded by his brother’s words. 

Papa raises an eyebrow before rolling his eyes. “You thought wrong. What do you want?” 

Em tossed a grape in his mouth and then threw his hands in the air. “Maybe I just wanted to catch up with my favorite older brother.” 

The Dark Pope glares at his brother, his mouth in a hard line, and then he speaks. “Because I know you too well, Emeritus. What have you gotten yourself into this time, _fratellino_?” 

The younger brother drew in a long breath, and then exhaled in an exaggerated sigh. “Well, I do seem to have found myself in a bit of a pickle, _fratello_.” 

Papa sits on the chair in front of the vanity, removing his mitre and setting it next to his stage make-up. He grabs a make-up removal wipe and proceeds to wipe off the make-up, revealing the exact same markings underneath. He looks at his brother through the mirror. “Are you going to sit there and watch me all night, or are you going to tell me about this ‘pickle’?” 

Em again sighs exaggeratedly, and then he looks upwards at the ceiling. “Well, brother, I’m afraid that I’ve put Quintessence on a crash-course with his former life.” 

The older Emeritus brother freezes in place, hand mid-wipe against his forehead. “You what…? He is one of our finest ghouls, Emeritus. How could you be so foolish?” 

The Cardinal scrunches his face and shrugs. “It’s kind of a long story, _fratello_.”

Papa twists his body in the chair to face his brother. “Well, then you’d better start talking, _fratellino_.” 

Em explains to his brother how he came to befriend Lillian shortly after Martin’s death.

“Omega proved to be such a fine ghoul from the very beginning that I decided to befriend and help his wife as a token of my gratitude to him. She was young and with child, and Omega sacrificed himself so they would live, _fratello_.”

“Indeed, he is one of our very best, Emeritus,” Papa conceded. “Please continue.” 

The Cardinal provides his brother with an abridged account of how he’s helped Lillian and her son over the years, and how his relationship with Lillian eventually took a sexual turn.

“Wait a moment,” the Dark Pope gruffly interrupts his brother. “You’ve been _fucking_ Omega’s wife…?” 

“I’ve been attending to her needs, _fratello_ ,” Emeritus responds nonchalantly. “Including those of a sexual nature.”

Papa gives a mirthless laugh as he rubs his forehead. “And you don’t see a problem with that?” 

“Why would there be a problem? I’m watching over his family and helping them out.”

The Dark Pope slowly shakes his head. “Continue, _fratellino_ ”, he sighs. 

Em continues as instructed, telling his brother how he heard Omega say Lillian’s name in his sleep recently.

“Emeritus,” Papa interjects. “Are you still fucking Omega?” 

The Cardinal plucks a grape from its bunch, studying the skin of the small piece of fruit before popping it in his mouth. “He’s one of our Dark Lord’s most perfect creations, brother. The boss certainly outdid himself with that ghoul’s cock. _Of course_ I’m still fucking him!” 

The Dark Pope looks at his younger brother incredulously. “ _Fratellino_ , do you not see a problem with this?”

Em ponders his brother’s question for a moment before answering. “Again, _fratello_ , why would there be a problem?” 

Papa sighs deeply as he shakes his head. “Emeritus, for somebody who loves humans as much as you, your understanding of them is certainly lacking. But please continue.” 

The Cardinal proceeds, sharing with his brother the conversation he had with his Quintessence Ghoul where Omega confessed that he had been having dreams about Lillian. Em then delved into how he had given Omega’s son his guitar for his birthday, that Lillian is taking her son to the upcoming ritual, and lastly, how they might try to meet Omega after the concert so the boy can thank their Aether Ghoul for his kindness.

The Dark Pope glowered at his brother without interrupting again. 

At long last, Em reaches the end of his narrative. “This is where you come in, _fratello_. I need your help in keeping Quintessence from meeting Lillian and their son at the concert. Create a diversion of some sort to keep him away from them.”

Papa closes his eyes and shakes his head before standing up. He silently paces the room, the quiet _swishes_ from his chasuble filling the void.

Once he was finally ready to speak, the Dark Pope stood before his brother with his arms folded across his chest, glaring at his kin. While such an imposing figure would have most rightfully shaking like a leaf, the Cardinal looked upon his brother expectantly and unintimidated.

Papa sighs deeply. “I will help you with your cockamamie scheme, Emeritus, but only because I do not see myself as having a choice in the matter. You have been gravely irresponsible and have put our family’s leadership at risk.”

Em rolls his eyes and gives the Dark Pope a dismissive wave of his hand. “Oh, _fratello_ , you always worry way too-“

Papa sternly cuts off his brother, his voice growing more and more thunderous as he continues. “I worry way too much because _you_ do not worry enough, _fratellino_. Do you not understand that there are forces amongst the Clergy working against us? Your ability to lead our church is already being questioned, and you have not yet even assumed the role. This situation does not help your cause, brother. This situation does not help our family’s cause. If something happens to Omega under my rule, I cannot show him leniency as it would _completely_ undermine my authority! And if something happens to Omega once you are Papa, showing him leniency would only confirm to your opponents your inability to lead the church and band. Do. You. Not. Understand?”

The Cardinal pops a grape into his mouth, completely unaffected by his brother’s outburst. 

Unable to contain his fury at Em’s insolence, Papa lurches forward, grabbing the youngest Emeritus brother by his collar and hauling him from the sofa to his feet so the two men are standing essentially nose-to-nose. 

In an angry whisper, he chides the Cardinal. “Do you not see that you live in a house of cards, _fratellino_? Someday, this house of cards will come crashing down around you, and you will have nobody to blame but yourself. As much as I hate to doubt you, perhaps your opponents are right about your lack of commitment. You dare tell me that I worry too much, Emeritus. Well, I tell you that you need to start worrying more, along with being more cognizant about the effects of your actions. You and you alone have set these wheels in motion. You will bring harm to the ones you love. You will bring about your own downfall. _You_ will bring about our family’s downfall, and we will all pay for your transgressions.” 

He scowls at his younger brother before letting go of the Cardinal’s collar, and then the Dark Pope disappears into thin air.


	6. Alpha's Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Martin's birthday and the day of the Ghost concert. Forces conspire to keep Omega from coming face-to-face with his past, but will they succeed?

The day of Martin’s 15th birthday started like any other for Lillian. There was no way for her to know that she would come face-to-face with her deceased husband’s ghoulish form later that night, that Martin the son and Martin the father would unknowingly meet each other for the first time. 

A morning and early afternoon of housework and responding to work emails while listening to Martin playing his guitar in his room was followed by a birthday dinner at the young man’s favorite restaurant. Once they were done with their meal, it was off to the Vic Theatre for the Ghost show. 

They joined the other fans in line, waiting for the doors to open at the standing-room only venue. The doors eventually opened with everybody entering and jockeying for the best possible vantage point inside. Lillian and Martin were able to score a spot not far from the stage, the young man excited to see his favorite band for the first time. Lillian, for her part, was all about making this a memorable night for her son. While Ghost wasn’t really her cup of tea music-wise, she was still relatively familiar with some of their songs because of Martin and didn’t think they were half bad. Add to it, in the wake of Tobias’s revelation that his brother was the lead singer of the band, she was immensely curious to see him perform. 

Backstage, as the Dark Pope and his ghouls readied themselves for tonight’s ritual, Alpha was summoned to Papa’s dressing room. He knocks on the door before cracking the door open and sticking his head in. “You wanted to see me, Papa?” 

Without turning around from vanity as he applied his stage make-up, he replied to his Fire Ghoul. “Yes, Alpha. Please come in.” 

Alpha walks in the room, shutting the door behind him. He walks over and stands behind the Dark Pope with his hands clasped behind his back. 

Papa looks at his lead guitarist in the mirror. “Alpha, I need your help with something, but it will require your discretion, and also that you do not ask any questions.” 

The Fire Ghoul nods once. “Yes, Papa. What can I do for you?” 

Still looking at Alpha in the mirror, the Dark Pope responds. “I need you to keep Omega occupied after tonight’s ritual. From immediately after we leave the stage, until I give you the all-clear. Do not allow him to interact with any fans whatsoever. Do you understand?” 

Alpha nods in affirmation. “Yes, your Unholy Eminence.” 

Papa swivels in his chair to face his Fire Ghoul. “This is of the utmost importance, Alpha. Please do not let me down. I’m counting on you.” 

Alpha bows his head at the Dark Pope. “Yes, Papa. You can count on me.” 

Papa gives his lead guitarist a dark smile. “Very good. Thank you, Alpha. You are dismissed.” 

The Dark Pope swivels back to his original position facing the mirror. Alpha shows himself to the door and lets himself out. He has a quick conversation with a security guard before returning to the ghouls’ dressing room next door. 

The Fire Ghoul hesitates for a moment before he approaches Omega. He and the rhythm guitarist were close, and he didn’t necessarily like the thought of leading his friend into something under false pretenses. However, Papa requested his assistance; when Papa asks for your help, you help. 

Alpha decides to proceed with his plan. “Hey Omega, you want to hang after the show?” 

With only a few minutes separating the band from the stage, Omega was in front of the mirror, making final adjustments to his costume. He turns to face his friend and bandmate. “Sure, what did you have in mind?” 

The lead guitarist shrugs. “We’ll figure it out later, okay?”

The Aether Ghoul’s eyes crinkle at the corners as he smiles behind his mask. “Sounds good, Alpha.” 

There’s a knock at the door, along with a muffled “FIVE MINUTES!” from the person behind the knock. It was time for them to take their places off-stage. The ghouls file out of their dressing room and take their positions, the guitarists grabbing their respective instruments as they were handed to them. Papa joins his ghouls as they await their cue. 

As he adjusts his guitar strap, Omega feels a stirring in his chest. He can sense a presence in the venue that’s equal parts familiar and unfamiliar. 

The band members take the stage, launching into _Infestissumam_ , and then transitioning to _Per Aspera Ad Inferi_. The audience roars as Papa Emeritus II emerges, the bright lights trained on him as he sings. Omega’s eyes shift between his guitar, his bandmates, and the audience, trying to locate the source of the feeling that is consuming him. His fingers go on auto-pilot and his eyes squint against the lights, and it isn’t until _Here Comes the Sun_ , the tenth song of their set, that he sees her.

“Lillian…” he quietly gasps behind his mask. 

The rhythm guitarist bides his time during the band’s final five songs, using the precious few minutes before their encore to instruct a crew member backstage to ask Lillian to meet him after the show. Off-stage and just out of view, he points her out, and then he watches as the crew member slowly makes his way towards her through the tightly-packed audience. 

The band takes the stage again for their two song encore, _Ghuleh/Zombie Queen_ , followed by _Monstrance Clock_. Omega observes the exchange between Lillian and the crew member, and smiles to himself when he sees her nod, agreeing to meet him after the show. 

Whatever Alpha had planned, it was going to have to wait. 

After a few final waves to the audience at the conclusion of their last song, the bandmates file off-stage. Papa goes to his dressing room, and the ghouls go to theirs. Omega quickly changes out of his costume and into his street clothes, and then stops in front of the mirror to remove the stage make-up from around his eyes. He heads towards the door and slips out, where he’s promptly intercepted by Alpha. 

The lead guitarist slings an arm over Omega’s shoulders, guiding him towards an unknown destination. “Just in time, my friend. Come on…” 

The Aether Ghoul protests and tries to step away from Alpha, who plants himself in front of Omega with a hand firmly on the rhythm guitarist’s shoulder. “Alpha, I have to meet somebody. I’ll catch up with you after-“

The Fire Ghoul shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Omega. Strict orders. I don’t know what’s going on, but please…I don’t want Papa up my ass over this.” 

Omega hangs his head, realizing that Em had enlisted his brother’s help, who in turn had enlisted Alpha’s help. Feeling a bit defeated, he acquiesces and follows as Alpha continues along their path. 

The Fire and Aether Ghouls enter an unused dressing room down the hall, with Alpha closing and locking the door behind them. What Alpha had in mind for the night is immediately obvious: two beautiful, scantily-clad women awaited them. They giggle and look at each other before slinking across the room towards the guitarists. Without saying anything, one of the women drapes herself over Alpha. He smiles mischievously as he goes in for a kiss, wrapping his arms around her and grabbing her ass. 

The other woman takes Omega by the hand, looking back at him as she leads the rhythm guitarist to the sofa, gently pushing him into it, and then straddling him. She grinds into his lap, and the Quintessence Ghoul’s body can’t help but react. She puts her hands on each side of his face and lowers her head so their lips meet. He closes his eyes and silently apologizes to Lillian. 

***

Out on the theatre floor, Lillian and Martin awaited Omega’s arrival. 

Martin excitedly bounced on the balls of his feet. “When do you think he’ll be out, mom?” 

Lillian shrugs. “I’m not sure, honey. The guy said to give him a few minutes to change and stuff, so…” 

***

Alpha was now at the other end of the sofa, his cock being worshipped by the woman on her knees before him. He closes his eyes and rests his head on the back of the sofa, enjoying the feeling of her hot, wet mouth. She removes her mouth and shifts between his legs. Before he can open his eyes to inspect, he feels her tongue run along the side of his cock from base to tip. And then he feels a second tongue repeat the action on the other side. 

He furrows his brow and whispers to himself. “What the hell…?” 

Alpha opens his eyes just in time to see the door close behind Omega. 

***

She had lost track of how long they had been waiting, but Lillian decided that it had been long enough. 

Lillian turns to Martin with an apologetic look on her face. “I don’t think he’s coming out, Martin. Let’s get going, okay?” 

The young man disappointedly acquiesces, and they start to walk away from the stage, crossing the old theatre’s worn wooden floor towards the exit. 

She takes his hand as they traverse the now-empty space that had been filled to capacity less than an hour ago. “I’m sorry, honey.” 

He shrugs and tries to fake a smile. “It’s okay, mom. It’s not your fault.” 

From behind them, they hear somebody call out Lillian’s name. 

Lillian keeps walking, but Martin stops, his voice insistent. “Mom…” 

She stops as well, and both Lillian and her son turn around to see Omega hopping off the stage and making his way over the barrier that had separated their adoring fans from the stage during the ritual, and then running across the floor towards them. 

He soon stood before Lillian and Martin, taking a moment to catch his breath. 

The Quintessence Ghoul holds his hand out, and she takes it as they shake hands. “Lillian…I’m…I’m Omega,” he stammers. 

She slowly nods as she studies his face. Up until now, she has known only two people with eyes the color of his, one of them being the young man standing next to her. Not only that, the guitarist also seems vaguely familiar to Lillian, yet she can’t put a finger on how this could be. “Omega…have we met before?” 

The corners of his blue eyes crinkle as a smile plays upon his lips. “I don’t think so, but I was wondering the same thing.” 

Her lips curl into a smile, and it’s the smile that’s replayed in his mind countless times since he first dreamt of her; his heart feels like it’s truly beating for the first time. 

Their moment is interrupted by Martin clearing his throat, eager to meet his idol. 

Lillian shakes her head as she breaks eye contact with Omega, turning her attention to Martin. “I’m sorry, honey. Um…Omega, this is my son, Martin.” 

The rhythm guitarist also turns his attention to the young man, grasping the boy’s outstretched hand with a smile on his face. “Martin, it’s great to meet you. I heard it’s your birthday…?” 

Martin nods, his eyes wide with excitement. “Yes, yes…and thank you so, so much for the guitar!”

Omega places his other hand on the young man’s upper arm as they continued to shake hands. “Oh, you’re so welcome! Tobias has told me a lot about you. I hear you’re quite the guitar player…?” 

***

In the wings of the stage stood Papa Emeritus II, watching as his Quintessence Ghoul conversed with the two people he wasn’t supposed to meet tonight. Behind him, he heard footsteps quickly approaching. The Dark Pope turns around in time to see his Fire Ghoul come to a dead halt in front of him. 

Without saying a word, Papa reaches his hand out, and Alpha feels an invisible hand wrapping itself around his neck. The Dark Pope walks forward as he raises his arm, and the Fire Ghoul is lifted off the floor and slammed against the wall. He watches Papa’s hand tighten as the unseen grip around his neck starts to constrict his airway. He grasps at his neck, fearfully looking at the leader of the church, unsure of what would happen next, what Papa intended to do to punish him for his failure. 

The Dark Pope silently glared at his lead guitarist, watching as he struggled to catch a breath, his oxygen supply almost completely constricted; a panicked look was visible in the ghoul’s eyes. He didn’t intend to kill his Fire Ghoul, although as livid as he was, Papa knew that it would only take a small motion of his fingers to snap Alpha’s neck. He didn’t really even intend to hurt the lead guitarist, although he knew this didn’t feel particularly _good_. 

Papa merely wanted to put the scare of Lucifer in the ghoul. 

Feeling as if he had accomplished his goal, the Dark Pope releases his grip and turns to briskly walk away as Alpha slides down the wall, landing on his ass with a _thud_. 

Alpha gasps for air as he picks himself up from the floor, stumbling after Papa as he rubs his neck, thankful that he can breathe freely again. 

“Papa…” 

The Dark Pope holds up a hand as he continues to walk towards the venue’s back exit. “Leave them. Omega will catch up to us later.” 

And with that, Papa and Alpha joined their bandmates on the tour bus, departing for the next stop on their young tour. 

***

They had been talking for so long that the trio had been asked to leave the venue so the staff could fully close it down for the night. Omega, Lillian, and Martin stood outside the theatre, realizing just how late it was. 

Lillian glances at the watch on her wrist, and then looks up at Omega. “Isn’t the rest of the band waiting for you?” 

He smirks and shakes his head. “Nah, they’ve already left.” 

She looks momentarily alarmed, causing the Quintessence Ghoul to chuckle. “Don’t worry…I’ll catch up to them, Lillian.” 

“How?” Martin chimes in. 

Omega winks at the young man. “I have my ways…” 

Soon after, Lillian and Martin say their good-byes to Omega, and they take their leave in search of Lillian’s car, which was parked a couple of blocks away. 

The Aether Ghoul watches as the mother and son turn a corner and disappear from his view. He smiles as he looks around, making sure nobody else is there. He closes his eyes, and when his blue orbs open again a moment later, the rhythm guitarist is standing in the lounge area of the band’s tour bus. 

Knowing that the rest of his bandmates are already asleep, he quietly gets ready for bed, and then climbs up into his bunk, closing the curtain behind him. He stares at the ceiling with a smirk on his face, knowing this wasn’t the last he’d see of Lillian. 

***

The powers of Aether ghouls manifest in many different ways. While the other elements are more predictable in nature, Aether quite simply _isn’t_ nearly as predictable. Being a more powerful Aether ghoul, Omega was able to self-teleport, a power shared by his leaders, former, current, and future. Not only that, but he is able to establish connections between himself and those he touches, if he so chooses, allowing the Quintessence Ghoul to teleport to their whereabouts at will. 

For several months, Omega disappears during the night to watch over Lillian, staying in a dimension hidden from humanity, typically used by devil’s agents for observation and to move amongst the masses undetected. This is also where physically unmanifested spirits reside, sensed only by those sensitive to such forces, and also by animals; cats especially. 

The Aether Ghoul would sit in the chair in the corner of Lillian’s room, watching her sleep. Lillian’s cat at first kept its distance, but then began approaching Omega. Eventually, it would sit with him and let the rhythm guitarist stroke its long fur. He’d sometime allow his claws to present themselves so he could brush the cat, careful not to scratch and mortally wound the furball. 

After awhile, Lillian began to notice the attention the cat paid to the chair, and she would cautiously ask if anybody was there, feeling like she was crazy. But at the same time, she felt like she was being watched, like there was somebody there. 

Little did she know that she, in fact, wasn’t alone.


	7. Silent Night, Ghoulish Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas Eve, and Lillian gets an unexpected visitor.

Tour Year Zero 2014 came to an end with its final two shows conveniently in Sweden, and Omega was more than happy to return home to the sanctuary of the church. He had missed sleeping in his own bed, although he really hadn’t spent much time sleeping at all since the Quintessence Ghoul had taken to visiting Lillian at night during the tour while the rest of the ghouls and their lead singer slumbered. It was a good thing that Omega didn’t require much sleep to function. 

The Aether Ghoul has also missed his walks in the forest to clear his mind. On their first night back at the church, he wasted no time in disappearing into the forest after dinner to enjoy some fresh Linkoping air. 

Omega had much on his mind these days. He hadn’t yet revealed himself to Lillian, but felt that he should do so sometime soon. His visits had yielded an interesting revelation: she had a couple of lovers, one of whom troubled Quintessence deeply as it was none other than Cardinal Emeritus. He wasn’t jealous that his long-time lover had another lover himself; rather, the rhythm guitarist envied that Em was with her, and he wasn’t. 

He made his way through the forest, twigs snapping and fallen leaves rustling under his feet as he walked. There was a damp chill in the air, causing him to stuff his hands in the pockets of his jeans, regretting that he had left his jacket on his bed in his rush to escape unnoticed. The Quintessence Ghoul’s brow furrowed as he contemplated whether or not he should confront Em regarding his involvement with Lillian. However, doing so would lead to many questions, and he was certain that his friend and lover was unaware of his frequent visits to the woman he felt so inexplicably connected to. And given Em’s pleas to him to forget about her very existence, Omega concluded that it was best to forgo any discussions with the Cardinal. 

Em, for his part, was aware that his beloved Omega had come face-to-face with Lillian and Martin; his brother had told him as much. He had avoided talking to the rhythm guitarist about it, however, hoping that was the extent of it. And with the feeling that ignorance was bliss, he didn’t want to know if there was more to the story. Ghost was in the early stages of preparing for its next album, and the Cardinal knew that he would soon take over leadership of the church and band from the middle Emeritus brother. With everything that was going on, the last thing he needed was strife with the one he depended on the most. 

The Cardinal also noticed that Omega had grown somewhat distant since he had returned. The two men would still spend time together intimately, but the Quintessence Ghoul would opt to return to his own quarters instead of sleeping with Em as he had in the past. The reasoning behind this was twofold: first, the Aether Ghoul would teleport to Lillian once he returned to the privacy of his room; and second, he would see flashes of Emeritus and Lillian together when he and the Cardinal would touch. At that, Omega felt betrayal on some level, but he couldn’t identify the “why” behind the feeling. 

He more and more frequently would retreat into the woods, even after the temperatures had fallen and snow covered the ground.

On the day that he finally revealed himself to Lillian, he had found himself in the common area of the living quarters watching TV with Alpha and Earth, and it was early in the morning. The three ghouls sat on the sofa, Omega and Alpha at each end with Earth curled up against the Fire Ghoul in an effort to keep warm. 

The lead guitarist had given the Quintessence Ghoul the cold shoulder for several weeks after the events of the night that Omega met Lillian and Martin, but things had since returned to normal between the two ghouls.

Alpha flipped through the channels, frustrated that there was nothing on. Rather, that there was nothing on that _he_ wanted to watch. “For fucks sake, why are all these Christmas movies on?” 

The Aether Ghoul had been focusing on his phone, but he looks up for a moment to respond to the Fire Ghoul. “Maybe because today is Christmas, Alpha?” 

Alpha contorts his face as he shrugs. “How the fuck am I supposed to know that? It’s not like we celebrate a holiday like _that_.” 

Omega raises his eyebrows as he looks back down at his phone. “It’s not like we celebrate _many_ holidays.” 

Earth pipes up. “Why do you guys think Satanists don’t have more holidays? It’d be way more fun if we had something like Christmas.” 

The Quintessence Ghoul smiles and chuckles as he looks over at Earth. “Well, if you can figure out when Satan’s birthday is, knock yourself out, Earth.” 

The small Earth Ghoul smirks at Omega. “We can have Satanmas, or something like that…” 

A few channels later, Alpha finally found a Christmas movie worth watching: _Die Hard_. He looks over at Omega with a triumphant smile on his face. The Aether Ghoul shakes his head as he smirks, again returning his attention to his phone. 

After awhile, Omega did a quick time calculation, wondering what Lillian was up to, if she and Martin were celebrating the holiday as it would still be Christmas Eve for them. He decided to find out.

The Quintessence Ghoul stands up from the sofa. “Guys, I’m going to go take a nap.”

Alpha doesn’t respond, while Earth gives him a glance and a silent wave before his attention returns to the holiday classic. 

Omega walks down the corridor, reaching his room at the end of the hall. He enters and locks the door behind him. Feeling like today could be the day that he reveals himself to Lillian, he looks himself over in the mirror on his dresser to make sure he was presentable. The Aether Ghoul runs his fingers through his hair, contemplating a spritz of cologne, but deciding against it. As soon as he makes his decision, he changes his mind, reaching for the glass bottle that sat atop his dresser. A small spray later, he sets the bottle down and gives himself a final once-over in the mirror. Omega nods as he gives himself a small smile of satisfaction. 

The Quintessence Ghoul closes his eyes, and when they open again, he’s in Lillian’s living room. The only lighting in the room came from the Christmas tree, other assorted Christmas lights that decorated the space, and the TV. Lillian was sitting on the sofa with her feet on the ottoman, and her son was laying on his side with his head resting on a pillow atop his mother’s lap as the duo watched the annual TNT marathon of _A Christmas Story_. 

Omega sat down in an accent chair next to the sofa. He smiled softly as he observed Lillian running her fingers through Martin’s hair, the young man so comfortable and relaxed that he was struggling to keep his eyes open. 

Lillian’s cat had been perched on the back of the sofa, but jumped down when it saw Omega. The feline now sat before him on the floor, meowing insistently as it looked up at him expectantly. He gestured to the cat to be quiet, but it didn’t listen to him _because it’s a cat_. 

Martin’s eyes fluttered open, and he lifted his head to look down at their pet. “Mom, what’s Morgan meowing at?” 

Lillian shrugged. “I’m not sure, honey. She’s been acting kind of weird lately.” 

The young man sat up and stretched. “I’m going to go to bed, okay?” 

She smiles softly as she rubs her son’s back. “Okay, Martin. Sweet dreams. I love you.” 

Martin stands up and stretches again before he walks towards the stairs. “Love you too, mom. Merry Christmas.” 

“Merry Christmas, honey.” 

He disappears up the staircase, and Lillian hears his bedroom door close behind him a few seconds later. 

She turns her attention to her cat, still meowing at the chair. “Morgan, what are you meowing at…?” Lillian looks at the chair, her eyebrows knit together. She again felt like there was somebody else there. “Hello…?” 

Just as she started to turn her head away, deciding that she was, indeed, crazy, a figure appeared in the chair. One of his elbows was resting on the arm of the chair, with his head propped against his hand as he shook his head. “Your cat is killing me, Lillian,” he chuckled. 

Lillian jolted upright on the sofa, and then scrambled to get her legs under her as she seemingly tried to disappear into the sofa cushions behind her. Her mouth was open in a silent scream, her eyes darting around the room, trying to find an escape route. 

Omega looks at Lillian, realizing how terrified she was at his sudden arrival. He moves to the edge of his seat and gently reaches out for her, putting his hand on her leg. “Hey, hey, hey…it’s okay, it’s okay. I’m sorry…I-I didn’t think this out very well. Or at all. Obviously.” 

He makes sure his eyes connect with hers, smiling softly. Finally, Omega sees recognition in her eyes. “O-Omega…?” 

He arches his eyebrows and shrugs, a sheepish smile on his face. “Um, Merry Christmas…?” 

Lillian relaxes a bit now that she knows the identity of her uninvited guest. “But…how…how are you here? How do you know where I live? How…how can you appear like that?”

He smirks. “I can disappear too…” And with that, he vanishes, only to return a few seconds later. 

Her jaw drops as she struggles to process what’s going on. 

Omega sits back in the chair again, and the cat jumps up onto his lap, making her furry self at home under his strong hand as he strokes her fluff. “What’s her name, Lillian?” 

Lillian’s eyes shift from the cat to the rhythm guitarist. “Morgan.” 

“ _Morgan_ ,” he coos to the feline before returning his eyes to Lillian. “I’m so sorry I scared you like that. Maybe I should’ve bumped into you at the grocery store instead…? I guess that wouldn’t have been nearly as shocking.” 

She nods slowly. “How are you here, Omega?” 

He grimaced slightly as he drew his lower lip between his teeth. “How about we start with _why_ I’m here…?” 

Lillian studied the man before her. “Okay, _why_ are you here?” 

The corners of the Quintessence Ghoul’s eyes crinkled as his mouth curved into a smile. “We’re connected somehow, Lillian. I think you feel it yourself. I…I can’t stop thinking about you, and I’ve been trying to make sense of it all.” 

Lillian nods as she recalls how the handsome guitarist had frequently popped into her mind since they met several months ago. 

Omega raises an eyebrow. “You’ve been thinking about me too…?” 

She shyly averts his gaze as she nods again, but then her eyes snap back to his as she has a realization. “This isn’t your first time here, is it? It’s been you in my room, hasn’t it?” 

He sighs as he nods. “Yeah, you’re right…it has been me. Morgan and I have gotten pretty well-acquainted.” 

She shakes her head. “I thought I was losing my mind, Omega.” 

He gives her another slight grimace. “Yeah, sorry. You’re not though, I promise. Would you like to hear the _how_?” 

Lillian’s eyes widen. “Please…” 

Omega draws in a deep breath. “Okay…where do I start?” 

The Aether Ghoul thinks for a moment, drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair while his other hand continued to pet the cat. He looks down at his furry friend. “Where should I start, Morgan?” She looks up at him and meows in response, to which he smiles. 

His eyes return to Lillian. “I know how this is going to sound, but I’m not exactly human, Lillian.” 

Her eyes widen again. 

“In fact,” the Quintessence Ghoul continues, “I’m not human at all. Me or the rest of the band.” 

An eyebrow arches as Lillian processes Omega’s words. “So, what are you then…?” 

He smirks. “We come as advertised, Lillian. We’re exactly what we say we are: Nameless Ghouls. Except I guess we aren’t entirely nameless. ‘Omega’ is a fan-given name, you see, but I’m otherwise known as Aether. My fellow ghouls and bandmates are Fire, also known by fans as ‘Alpha’, Water, Earth, and Air.”

She bites her lower lip. “What about your lead singer…and his brother?” 

Omega chuckles. “That’s a bit more complicated, Lillian, and I think I’ll allow Em to explain that to you himself.”

Lillian gives the Aether Ghoul a confused look. “Em?” 

“You know him as Tobias. I know him as Em. Our current lead singer is Em’s older brother, Papa Emeritus II. Not only is he the leader of our band, but he’s also the leader of our church.” 

Her eyes narrow. “Church…?” 

Omega nods. “Yes, church. Please don’t be alarmed when I say this, but it’s the Church of Satan. We mean no harm whatsoever, so it’s perfectly safe for your son to be a Ghost fan. He’s a good kid, Lillian. Great kid, really. He’s solid and not susceptible in the least bit as some might be.” 

Lillian contemplates for a moment before she speaks again. “So you’re using Ghost to openly recruit for your church…? The Church of Satan?” 

The rhythm guitarist shrugs. “In a way. If our message resonates with somebody, then sure. They have to engage us first though; there are rules, after all. But for the vast majority of our fans, we’re exactly what they want us to be: entertainment. And we are more than happy to provide that for them and play along, Lillian. There’s no cause for alarm, I promise.”

She takes a shaky breath. “So, the part about you and your bandmates being ghouls…?” 

Omega smirks. “We really do look like this, first of all. The masks we wear during our shows are just to conceal our identities. Take the masks off, and what you’ll see is five normal guys. There’d be no way to know that there’s a bit more to us than meets the eye. Do you…do you want to see, Lillian?” 

She opens her mouth to say something, but then closes her mouth and hesitantly nods. 

He gently pushes the cat off his lap and rises to his feet. “Okay, before I do this, please don’t freak out. We’re nothing like we’re made out to be in movies. You’re completely safe.” 

Lillian nods again, and Omega winks at her as he loosens his shoulders and cracks his knuckles. 

Her brows knitted together as she watched him; nothing was happening. “What are you doing, Omega?” 

The Aether Ghoul chuckles. “Nothing, really…I just want to make sure you’re alright before I do this.” 

Lillian laughs uneasily. “I’m fine, I promise. Please…” 

He nods. “Here we go…” 

Her eyes widened in awe as his transformation occurred before her very eyes. 

A pair of slightly curved, dark horns emerged from his forehead near his hairline. Omega’s teeth lengthened slightly and became sharp and pointed. He opened his mouth enough for his ghoulish tongue to make an appearance: dark, long, and forked. The rhythm guitarist’s nails quickly grew into dark claws that could surely inflict a lot of damage. His facial features grew more defined but didn’t otherwise change much; he still looked like Omega. What Lillian thought was the final change was his skin taking on a light grayish sheen, an attractive contrast with his blue eyes. 

She raises an eyebrow. “Wow…” 

He smirks and winks at her. “Wait…we’re missing something…” 

And from behind him, a thin dark tail emerges, spaded at the end. Once it reached its full length, it was a few feet long and swayed above the Aether Ghoul proudly and impressively. 

Lillian gulps, and then deadpans, “Well, that’s a nice party trick…”

Omega bursts into a hearty laugh, her reaction catching him off-guard. Her eyes widen again, but then she starts to laugh along. Uneasily at first, but that quickly subsided. Once their laughter died down, Lillian rose to her feet and stood before the Quintessence Ghoul. 

She takes in his ghoulish features, and then her eyes wander upwards to his tail. “Can I-“

He raises an eyebrow and smirks down at Lillian. “You want to touch it? Sure…be my guest!”

Lillian slowly walks around Omega to his back, surveying his ghoulish form as she moves. Once she was behind him, she looks up at the tail that moved as if it had a mind of its own. As she starts to reach up to touch it, the dark tail lowers so she can have a better look at it. She hesitantly holds out her hand, making contact with the appendage that snaked its way out from just below the waistband of his jeans. 

It wasn’t what she was expecting, although, to be honest, she didn’t know _what_ to expect. His tail was smooth and velvety to the touch, and it playfully coiled around her arm as she inspected it further. 

Omega looks at her over his shoulder and chuckles. Her eyes widen as she smiles and laughs. 

Once her curiosity was satisfied, she walks back around him so she’s standing in front of the Aether Ghoul again. 

The rhythm guitarist looks down at Lillian with a smirk. “So…what do you think?” 

She exhales her response in the form of a breathy “wow”. 

He mischievously arches an eyebrow. “Do you want to see one more thing, Lillian?” 

Lillian’s eyes twinkled as she nodded. 

Omega smiles and steps closer to her. “I’m going to need you to hang on to me for a moment, okay?” 

He wraps his arms around her, and Lillian wraps her arms around his waist. 

“Close your eyes, Lillian…” 

She does as instructed, and instantly feels a light breeze in her hair. 

“Okay, you can open them now.” 

Lillian opens her eyes, and she sees that they are no longer standing in her living room. She lets go of Omega as he frees her from his grasp, and she surveys the unfamiliar surroundings. “Where are we, Omega?” 

He smiles as he looks around the room. “This is home, Lillian. It’s where I live. We’re in Sweden.” 

The spacious room featured a sitting area with a sofa, coffee table, and a worn leather chair, and the sleeping area with a king-sized bed, dresser, and nightstands on each side of the bed. An open door at the back of the room appeared to lead into an adjoining bathroom. Overall, the room was modest yet comfortable. 

Lillian crosses the room to look out the window, seeing it was still dark out. 

Omega joins her at the window. “You can’t see it now, but the church is bordered by a forest. I spend a lot of time out there when we’re not on tour, going for walks, trying to clear my mind.” He pauses as he turns to face her. “Trying to figure out why I kept seeing you in my dreams even before we met.”

Lillian turns to face him as well but doesn’t say anything. 

He puts his hands on her shoulders, his nails now back to their normal human form. “I want to figure this connection out, Lillian. I’d…I’d like to visit you so we can hang out, chat, and get to know each other...” Omega smirks and rolls his eyes. “…if this little thing about me being a ghoul from a satanic rock band doesn’t scare the holy hell out of you, that is.” 

Under normal circumstances, that would be more than enough for Lillian to run fast and far, never looking back, but she was perplexed by the inexplicable link she had with Omega, and agreed that it should be further explored despite the fact that the handsome guitarist was, in fact, a _ghoul_. 

She was becoming increasingly aware of how there were many things in the universe that were beyond the comprehension of mere mortals, but there was no way for her to prepare for what was still to come.


	8. As You Are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Omega catches Lillian at an inopportune time.

Lillian sat at the desk in her office, absentmindedly twirling her hair around her fingers as she tried to read the document in front of her for the umpteenth time. It was a couple of days before Martin’s birthday, and she couldn’t believe that her son was going to be 16 years old. Tobias was coming over tonight for an early birthday dinner, something that had long ago become tradition for them.

It was odd to think that the man she had known for all these years wasn’t exactly human. Not that she knew yet _what_ he was; Omega had asked after their initial conversation that she not disclose to Tobias that she and the Aether Ghoul were spending time together, and that she not let on to him that she knew any more than what Tobias himself had told her about his life. 

Omega had conceded that neither he nor any of his fellow ghouls actually knew what Tobias and his brothers were themselves. Speculation was that they were demon/human hybrids, and it was well-known that their bloodline went back centuries since the first Emeritus ruled supreme over the church. Rumor was that the Emeritus brothers were born to human mothers who were Church of Satan members, although nobody had ever confirmed or denied the gossip. Another rumor that had long made its way around was that a bastard Emeritus existed, born a few years after Em, making this unknown brother the youngest. Nobody knew who or where he was, or even if the rumor was true. 

The Quintessence Ghoul had been visiting Lillian fairly often. He’d most often show up at night, but she’d grown accustomed to seeing him at all hours of the day. The rhythm guitarist had teleported them back to the church on a few occasions, and they’d chat while walking through the woods. There was always a spark between them whenever he’d hold her hand during their walks, though things never went any further than that. 

And that was the source of Lillian’s distraction today. 

She enjoyed his company, and looked forward to his visits. It had been years since she felt so at ease and so connected to somebody, the last person being her late husband. And in many ways, Omega reminded her of Martin. Not just his eye color, but also some of his mannerisms and his laugh. It was quite uncanny, really. Lillian wondered if that was the genesis of her connectedness to him, how familiar he seemed due to his similarities to Martin, although that didn’t explain his connection to her. 

Lillian drummed her fingers on the desk, completely unable to concentrate. She looks up from the paper in front of her, and realizes she isn’t alone. 

Leaning against the wall a few feet away from her was Omega. 

She was pleasantly surprised to see him. “Hey…,” Lillian said with a smile. 

The Quintessence Ghoul smirks. “Hey yourself. You look distracted…” 

Lillian sighs. “That’s because I am.” 

He raises an eyebrow and smirks. “Can’t stop thinking about me, huh?” 

Lillian rolls her eyes with a smirk of her own but doesn’t respond. 

Omega sits down on one of the chairs in front of her desk, crossing one leg over the other with his foot resting on his knee. He runs his fingers through his hair. “I almost blew it with Em today.” 

Her eyebrows draw together. “How so, Omega?” 

The handsome ghoul looks upwards at the ceiling. “I said something about Martin’s birthday.” 

Lillian grimaces. “How did you recover from that…?” 

He shrugs. “I reminded him about the guitar last year, and that was how I remembered his birthday. And then I offered some of my guitar picks to distract him.” 

“Do you think he bought it?” 

Omega nods. “Yeah, I think he did.” He shifts uncomfortably in his chair. A line appeared between his eyebrows. “Are you and Em going to…”

He trails off as Lillian looks at him with a confused look on her face. “Are we going to what, Omega?” 

A flush crept up the Quintessence Ghoul’s face. 

Seeing his reaction, Lillian put two and two together. “Are you asking if he and I are going to have sex…?” 

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat again as he continued to turn red, but he didn’t respond. 

Lillian was slightly taken aback. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.” 

Before Omega could say anything, there was a knock on her office door. He shot her an apologetic look, and then quickly disappeared. 

And that night, she and Tobias _did_ have sex. Martin went to his friend’s house after dinner and birthday cake, giving them the perfect opportunity. They went up to her room, the cat making a last-second dash inside as Tobias was closing the door, darting under the bed and out of reach before he or Lillian could grab her. Mid-tryst, she noticed the cat looking expectantly at the chair Omega usually sat in. 

After Tobias left, Lillian covered herself with a sheet, and addressed her visitor. ”You can show yourself now, Omega. I know you’re there.” 

The Aether Ghoul appeared with a sheepish look on his face. “Busted, eh?” 

Lillian gave Omega a dirty look. “This was really audacious of you, considering our conversation earlier. Did you enjoy the show…?” 

He motions to the obvious bulge in his pants. “What do you think?” 

She chuckles. “Serves you right if you’re going to pop in on me like this.” Her eyes quickly widened with a sudden realization. “Wait, was this even the first time you’ve seen me with somebody?” 

Omega chuckles as runs his fingers through his hair. “Ah, no.” 

“How many times, Omega?” 

He shrugs. “I don’t know, Lillian.” 

Her voice rose slightly. “How many times, Omega?” 

He shrugs again. “Really, I don’t know.” 

Her voice rose a bit more. “How many times, Omega?” 

His voice rose to match hers. “I don’t fucking know, Lillian! Enough to know what turns you on. Enough to know what really gets you going. Enough to know the look on your face when you feel an orgasm starting to form. Enough to memorize your face and the sounds you make when you’re having an orgasm.” 

She’s furious with him for watching her during her most intimate times, but she also can’t help but be turned on by it. Their conversations may have been slightly flirtatious in the past, but never outright sexual like this. 

He continued, his voice low and rich with desire. “And I wish each and every time that you were over here riding me.” 

Lillian bites her lip as they silently gazed at each other, the sexual tension in the room suddenly so thick it could be sliced with a knife. She might’ve just been with Tobias, yet she was strongly considering taking another lover. 

She slides off the bed, keeping the sheet held up against her body as she slunk across the room to where Omega sat, stopping in front of him. They stare intently at each other, both temporarily frozen in place as each contemplates their next move. Omega then reaches for his pants, first the button, and then the fly, lifting his hips enough to push his pants down past his knees. He wraps his ringed hand around his cock, slowly stroking up and down the length while Lillian’s eyes shift between his eyes and his hardened phallus. 

She lets go of the sheet and advances towards Omega as the fabric falls to the floor. She straddles him with a knee on each side of his thighs, lining his member up with her opening, and then slowly lowering herself, feeling him slide inside of her inch by delectable inch, her walls stretching to accommodate his girth. Lillian closes her eyes and leans forward, resting her forehead against his once he’s all the way in. He tilts his chin towards her, and their lips find each other for the first time. Their tentative initial kisses growing deeper and more passionate as their familiarity grows, like they’ve done this before. 

She breaks the kiss and starts to move against him, her body rising and falling along his length. She arches her back, his hands on her waist, and he leans forward to take one of her nipples in his mouth, teasing and flicking it with his tongue, knowing the reaction it would elicit from Lillian, before moving to the other side and repeating. 

He began thrusting his pelvis up to meet her body’s downward motions, their skin slapping together. She laced her fingers behind his neck as his hands moved to her hips, holding her in place as he fucked her. He felt a tell-tale spasm within her that was followed by a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it expression on her face, and he continued his vigorous thrusting until her walls were spasming around his cock in orgasm, pushing him over the edge as he erupted inside of her.

“Fuck…!” he growled, knowing immediately he wasn’t done yet. Omega closes his eyes and suddenly, they’re in his room, on his bed. He flips their positioning so he’s on top of Lillian, still inside of her. 

She pulls his face down to hers, kissing him deeply. He moans into her mouth as he returns the kiss, and then he starts to move his hips again, thrusting steadily into the woman below as she begged him for more. And it was around then that an idea popped into Lillian’s head. 

Now just to formulate the words.

“Will…will you…oh fuck…” She trailed off; he was hitting all the right spots. Lillian wrapped her legs around his waist and clung to him as he continued to drive himself deeper and deeper inside of her. “F-fuck me as…as you…as you really are, pl-please?” 

He ceases his movements, looking perplexed for a moment. “As a ghoul?” 

Lillian nods. 

He gazes into her eyes with a concerned look in his. “Are you sure, Lillian?” 

She nods again. 

“But I’ve never…not like that…” 

Lillian caresses his cheek and smiles softly at him. “There’s a first time for everything, right?” 

He nods. “Are you sure though?” 

She smirks. “Please?” 

Omega sighs and acquiesces. “Okay, but please let me know if it gets to be too much.” 

She nods as he props himself up, and then slides off the bed. He first removes his clothes as he was still almost fully dressed. Lillian repositions herself so she can watch, and then it happened: Omega took his ghoulish form. She quickly decides she needs a closer look. 

Lillian gets up from the bed and walks around the naked ghoul. She runs her fingers over his chest, then down his arm, and once she’s behind him, she gently wraps her hand around his velveteen tail, stroking slowly up and down its length. Omega’s head lolls back as a moan escapes his lips. She watches his reaction as she continues her movements. 

She watched his lips curl into a smile, and then he chuckled. “You just wanted to do this to my tail, didn’t you?” 

Lillian presses her lips to his upper back and responds playfully with a giggle. “Maybe…” 

She eventually continues on her path around him, running her fingers over his body as she went, until she stood before him. He gently cups her face in his hands, gazing into her eyes. 

In a lustful whisper, he speaks. “There’s so much I want to do to you, Lillian, but all I can think about right now is fucking you…” 

Lillian turns her head slightly to kiss one of his hands. “Then fuck me.” 

He scoops her into his arms, returning her to his bed, quickly joining her. Omega resumes his previous position on top of Lillian, watching her face as he slowly slid inside of her again. He started off deep and slow, increasing his pace as he felt his orgasm building. She writhed under his fast, uneven thrusts as she approached her own climax. 

And then it happened: his release led to hers, and they rode out their respective orgasms together, lips locked in a furiously passionate kiss as they moaned into each other’s mouths. 

Once they came down from their highs, he rolled over onto the bed. Lillian settled in against him with his arm around her, his tail coiled around her leg. The feeling of his warm and solid body was her last thought as she drifted off to sleep.


	9. A Tangled Web

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a new Papa in town, and the band embarks on their next world tour. Things start to get complicated as secrets make their way out of the dark. Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!

It was an exciting time for the church and band: Papa Emeritus III had been inaugurated as the leader of the church in a massive ceremony in front of church members, and a few days later, his dear _fratello_ passed on the helm of the band in front of a capacity crowd at a nightclub show near the church grounds. The first single from their forthcoming new album had been released, and the band had started to sprinkle in new songs at festival shows they did over the summer. 

By the time their new album dropped, they were in the middle of a small acoustic in-store promo tour in America. They headed back to Europe for another small promo tour before embarking on their next big world tour the following month. 

Now that he would be on tour with Em, Omega didn’t know how often he’d be able to visit Lillian, or even _how_ at this point. Until they were on the road, he wouldn’t know how or when he’d be able to get away to see her. 

Right now, it seemed like the band was spending every waking moment together as they rehearsed for the upcoming Black to the Future tour, and it wouldn’t be much different once the tour began. The Quintessence Ghoul would take advantage of the little bit of time he did have to himself while everybody else slept so he could spend time with Lillian. 

The pair continued to grow close and their relationship had taken a definitive turn for the sexual after their initial encounter. Omega had never craved anybody like he did her, and he felt whole when they were together, not that he had ever noticed that he wasn’t before she came into his life. But once she was there, it was painfully obvious, and he longed to be near her any chance he got. 

It was finally time for the tour to begin, and the band arrived in America a week before their first show, mainly in an effort to combat jet lag, but also so the band could practice and get in some sight-seeing. 

Em had already seen the world due to his many years as an agent of the devil, and the band had already seen most of the world due to their extensive touring, but it was still fun to get out and enjoy the local sights when they could. Not only that, but an early arrival also meant a few nights in a hotel versus the tour bus, something Omega decided to take advantage of with Lillian. 

The band was given the weekend before the start of the tour off, and they were free to do as they pleased. Lillian and the Aether Ghoul had made plans to spend that Saturday night together, starting with dinner that evening. After he was done getting ready, it was time for Omega to get his date. He closes his eyes, and when they open again, he’s standing in Lillian’s bedroom. 

She was standing by her bed, packing a small overnight bag. “Hey, you’re just in time!”

The rhythm guitarist walks over by her. She turns to face him; he wraps his arms around her waist, and she wraps her arms around his neck. He gives her a quick kiss on the lips. “You ready to go, Lillian?” 

She smiles and nods. “Yep, just finished packing.” 

Omega leans in for another kiss, a longer one this time. “Is Martin spending the night at a friend’s?” 

Lillian shakes her head. “No, he’s spending the night here, and he’s having a friend over.” 

The Quintessence Ghoul raises an eyebrow. “Will they be okay?” 

She smirks and shrugs. “I’m sure they will. Besides, the cat is in charge; she’ll keep an eye on them.” 

Omega chuckles. “Seriously?” 

“It’s a joke between me and Martin, because the cat is older than he is, Omega,” Lillian explained. 

He smirks. “Got it. How old is she anyway?” 

She thinks for a moment before answering. “Almost 18…? She was Martin’s dad’s cat.” 

The Aether Ghoul’s forehead furrowed. “What happened to him, Lillian? Did he leave?” 

Lillian forces a smile. “Can we not talk about that right now? Please?” 

He nods. “Of course. You’ve just never mentioned him before. If you’re ever up to telling me, I’d like to hear about it.” 

She lays her head on his chest and sighs. “It’s hard to talk about, Omega. I didn’t plan on being a widow at 21. But I will tell you about it sometime, okay?” 

Omega kisses the top of her head as he runs his fingers through her hair. “Deal. Should we get going?” 

Lillian looks up at the Quintessence Ghoul and nods with a smile. “Let’s go!”

He didn’t have to tell her to hang on to him or to close her eyes as she did it automatically; this had become her favorite way to travel. When they both opened their eyes, they were in his hotel room. He takes her bag and sets it on a chair next to the bed, and then returns to her. 

The rhythm guitarist puts his hands on Lillian’s hips and gazes down at her. “So…do you want to go get something to eat now, or stay in and get something later?” 

Lillian smiles mischievously as she wraps her arms around his neck. “Well, what’s on the menu if we stay in, my good sir?” 

Omega gives her a wink and a smirk. “Oh, I’m sure we could find _something_ to your liking…” 

He lowers his head and their lips meet. 

A couple of hours later, it was time for dinner. As Omega kept watch around them for any of his bandmates, they left the hotel and walked a few blocks to a vintage diner down the street. They had a chatty older lady named Delores for their waitress, and she said she’d worked for the diner for almost thirty years. She kept remarking how cute they were together, and she even gave the two “lovebirds” – as she called them – free dessert. 

After dinner, the returned to the hotel, and Omega again kept watch around them for his bandmates as he and Lillian made their way back up to his room. There was no reason for them to leave the hotel again that night, because everything that either wanted was already in that room. 

The next morning, the Quintessence Ghoul brought Lillian back home, and then he reluctantly returned to his hotel room alone. Before he had the chance to take a shower, there was a knock on the door. Omega walks over and looks through the peephole to see Alpha standing outside. He unlocks and opens the door. 

“Hey Alpha, what’s up?” he greets his bandmate. 

“A few of us are going to go grab a bite to eat. You wanna join us?” 

Omega contemplates for a moment, and then nods. “Sure, I could go for a bite to eat.” 

And it was around then that Alpha smelled something in the air. “Holy hell, Omega! What were you up to last night?” The Fire Ghoul bursts into the room and takes a deep breath. “Fuck, it smells like a brothel in here!” 

The Aether Ghoul runs his hands through his hair and laughs nervously. “You _would_ know what a brothel smells like, Alpha.” 

The lead guitarist mischievously sticks his tongue out. “Damn right, I do! But holy fuck, who did you have in here last night?” 

Omega shakes his head. “Nobody you know. It’s not important. Let’s go get something to eat.” 

Alpha laughs deviously as his bandmate tries to push him out of the room. “Your breath smells like you’ve already had plenty to eat, Omega!”

The rhythm guitarist sighs as he hangs his head. “Let me take a shower quick, okay?” 

The Fire Ghoul claps his hand on Omega’s back. “You might want to douse yourself with some bleach to get the scent off you, my friend. Although to be fair, she does smell awfully sweet. I’d probably want to keep it on me for awhile as well, so I can’t say that I blame you. Is she still around? Mind if I have a go with her?” 

The Quintessence Ghoul grabs Alpha by the collar and pulls him closer, baring his teeth and growling at him. “Don’t you ever say anything like that when it comes to her; got it?” 

The lead guitarist laughs nervously. “Fine, but please, _please_ brush your teeth. It smells like you spent the night with your face between her legs. Does this girl have you that whipped? Or does she just taste that damn good? Maybe a little of both? I think it’s a little of both…” 

Omega shakes his head as he lets the Fire Ghoul go. “Do you need to be such a dick, Alpha?” 

Alpha straightens out his shirt, and then retorts, “Need you ask such a question?” 

The Fire Ghoul walks back to the door, then turns to face the Aether Ghoul as he opens the door. “Take your shower, and then come down to my room. We’ll be waiting for you.” 

Omega nods as Alpha leaves the room, the door closing behind him. He sighs to himself, “Fuck…” 

The rhythm guitarist takes a quick shower, gets dressed, and then heads down the hall to Alpha’s room. 

Alpha, Omega, Earth, and Em set out for their destination, and miraculously, the Fire Ghoul hadn’t mentioned their prior exchange to Earth and Em. As they were walking, the rhythm guitarist realized they were heading in the direction of the diner he and Lillian had dinner at the previous night, and he hoped lunch wasn’t one of Delores’s shifts. 

They enter the diner, and he breathes a sigh of relief when he doesn’t see Delores. The hostess leads them to their table, and they take their seats. Just as Omega picks up a menu, his relief is short-lived when he hears a familiar voice. 

“Hello boys, what can I get you to drink?” 

It was Delores. 

Omega tries to hide behind the menu, hoping she won’t recognize him. Unfortunately for the Quintessence Ghoul, Delores never forgets a face. 

She picked him out right away. “Hey cutie! Come back to see me so soon?” 

He looks up from the menu and laughs nervously. “Hi Delores. How are you today?” 

The waitress smiles. “I’m good, honey. Where’s your sweet little girlfriend?” 

Omega tries to ignore the three pairs of eyes that are staring at him from around the table, although Em’s were more of a _glare_. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see a shit-eating grin on Alpha’s face. “She had to leave. Uh, what do you recommend for lunch?” 

She giggles at him. “Oh, look at you, trying to change the subject! Boys, I tell you, he was in here last night with the prettiest little thing, and you should’ve seen how adorable they were together! Just a couple of lovebirds, I tell you!” 

Em fakes a smile. “We’d love to meet this girlfriend of yours, Omega. Tell us, what’s her name?” 

Omega glances from Delores to Em. “It’s not important, _Tobias_.” 

The newly appointed Dark Pope looks up at Delores with a sweet smile. “Delores, would you happen to remember this lovely young lady’s name?” 

Delores thinks for a few seconds before responding. “You know, sweetie, I don’t think I caught her name.” 

Em sighs. “Well, that’s too bad. But thank you, Delores.” 

Despite the awkward beginning, the rest of their meal was uneventful. Em seemingly let Omega off the hook, and didn’t bring it up again. In fact, he didn’t bring it up _at all_ over the next several days. The Quintessence Ghoul hoped that he had forgotten about it, but he knew that wasn’t the case. 

The band was traveling to Lillian’s city for a ritual, and she was taking Martin. Omega knew that Em would be keeping an extra close eye on him with Lillian around, waiting for him to slip up and reveal his involvement with her. The rhythm guitarist talked to her before the show to let her know they would have to be exceedingly cautious. Add to it, Em had hooked them up with front row seats, and Omega knew it would be difficult for both him and Lillian to not try to steal glances at each other during the show. 

And finally, the day arrived. Lillian and Martin were summoned backstage after the meet and greets were completed, a security guard leading them to Em’s dressing room. He knocked on the door and showed them in. Inside stood Papa Emeritus III in all his glory. He seemingly glided to the door to escort them in. 

“Lillian! Martin! So wonderful to see you!”

The man she had known for years was in full character, although she suspected that it was the man she knew him as that was the character, not the being before them now. 

He takes her hands and goes European on her, kissing her on each cheek. “Hello Tobias…”

Martin clears his throat. “Mom, it’s _Papa Emeritus the Third_.”

Em winks a mismatched eye at Martin as he reaches up and tousles the young man’s hair. “Thanks kid. How are you doing?” 

Martin laughs as he smoothes his hair back into place. “This is so awesome, Papa. You look like such a badass! I’ve been so excited to see you perform.” 

The Dark Pope smiles at the young man. “Thank you, Martin. I’ve been looking forward to this night for a long time. I wanted you and your mom to be here, and I’m delighted to see you, as always!” He turns his attention to Lillian. “What do you think, my dear?” 

Lillian raises her eyebrows and whistles under her breath. “You look amazing, T-“ She cut herself off before she could call him by the wrong name again. “ _Papa_.” 

Em winks a mismatched eye at Lillian. “Such a good ghuleh you are, Lillian,” he coos at her. 

She had to admit to herself: he looked hot as hell as Papa Emeritus III; so hot, in fact, that she might have to ask him to bring Papa into the bedroom sometime. If she had no qualms being intimate with a bona fide ghoul, then it wasn’t so much of a stretch to extend that intimacy to a rumored half demon/half human hybrid. _Why not?_ , she thought to herself. 

The Dark Pope offers to take Martin on a tour of the backstage area, which the young man excitedly accepts. As Em leads her son one way, Lillian heads back towards their seats in front of the stage. But before she makes it very far, a disembodied arm reaches for her from a room that she was walking by, and pulls her inside. Before she even had a chance to react, she quickly realizes that it’s Omega. And before either of them can say anything, their lips are locked as they breathlessly kiss, not able to get enough of each other. 

Lillian reluctantly breaks the kiss as the Quintessence Ghoul focuses his attention on her neck, causing her to giggle. “Omega, we shouldn’t be doing this. Em is out there somewhere with Martin…” 

He kisses along her jawline and back to her lips, choosing to ignore what she had just said as he had other things on his mind. “I know we’ll see each other later, but I want you _now_...”

The band was spending the night in town at a nearby hotel, and Lillian and Omega had post-concert plans of their own, which were unfortunately dependent on their ability to not arouse the suspicion of one Papa Emeritus III. 

Omega runs his tongue along her bottom lip, pulling away and teasing Lillian when her tongue tried to touch his. He chuckles, and then hungrily covers her mouth with his. Her hands slide down the fabric of his coat, and then under once she reaches its bottom, reaching for and then working the button and zipper on his pants, pushing them down just enough to free his already-hard cock. He emits a low groan as Lillian wraps her hand around his girth and slowly starts to stroke from base to tip. 

The Aether Ghoul’s hands grasp at Lillian’s skirt, hoisting it up passed her hips to give himself access, finding that she’s not wearing any panties. He breaks their kiss and gazes down at her with half-lidded, lust-filled eyes. “You naughty girl…” 

She smirks mischievously but doesn’t otherwise respond. He breathes in her scent and can smell her arousal, and it’s more than the rhythm guitarist can take. He grabs her by the waist, lifting her up. He presses her back against the wall, and then quickly reaches for his erect member, guiding the tip inside of her and moving his hands to her ass. 

Omega lets her body lower as he slides slowly inside of her, their breathing hitching. Lillian wraps her arms around his neck as he starts to thrust in earnest. Knowing that they don’t have much time, he increases the speed and intensity of his thrusts, the room full of the sound of their shameless moaning. 

The Quintessence Ghoul could feel himself approaching his end, announcing it breathlessly to Lillian. “I’m getting close…I’m so close. You gonna come for me, baby?”

Her brows were knit together in passionate concentration, and she nodded. “I’m-I’m…” Lillian’s face contorts as her orgasm arrives and quickly overwhelms her senses. 

The feeling of Lillian’s cunt contracting around his cock catapulted Omega to his end, his hot seed erupting deep inside of his lover. 

Once they came down from their orgasmic highs and had made themselves decent, Omega opened the door and they walked back into the hall. As the Aether Ghoul closed the door behind them, Lillian saw Em and Martin round the corner and come into view. The sight of Lillian and Omega together did not go unnoticed by the Dark Pope, who said nothing as he approached. 

His face remained blank, but his mismatched eyes betrayed him as he glared at his Quintessence Ghoul.


	10. Shit Hits the Fan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit hits the proverbial fan.

Once the band reached their hotel after the ritual, Emeritus followed Omega to his hotel room. Not wanting the rest of the ghouls to know what this was about, their vaguely-worded heated conversation had started in the limousine and continued as they walked through the hotel. Alpha, Earth, Air, and Water made themselves scarce once the vehicle arrived at its destination; it seemed they couldn’t get away fast enough. There had been squabbles amongst the bandmates before, but never between their leader and a ghoul. 

The door slams shut behind the Dark Pope. 

Omega whirls around to face the lead singer. “I don’t want to talk to you about this, Emeritus!” 

Papa throws his hands in the air. “But we need to, Omega! You directly disobeyed me. I told you to forget this woman existed, and what did you do? You’ve been seeing her behind my back!” 

The Quintessence Ghoul bares his teeth at Em. “I’m supposed to forget about her, yet you get to see her. Seriously?” 

The Dark Pope was taken aback. “Whatever you think you know, Quintessence, I’d proceed with caution if I were you.” 

Omega lowers his head so he’s almost face-to-face with Papa. “I know plenty. You can’t keep me from her, Em.” 

Papa sighs. “You don’t know nearly as much as you think you do, Omega. Please, you know I’m in a precarious situation. I cannot allow rules to be bent or broken like this. Not even for you.” 

The rhythm guitarist shakes his head. “I’m sorry, but I…I love her, and I need to explore this.”

Em grits his teeth as takes his Aether Ghoul’s face in his hands. “I can’t allow it, Quintessence. _Please_ , I beg you to let this go.”

Omega allows his forehead to rest against the Dark Pope’s, his expression softening. “Em, please. Just let me do this. If I get caught, I’ll pay the price, whatever it is.” His hands move to the smaller man’s waist, moving slowly up and down his sides. “Please let me do this,” he quietly implored. 

Though the gesture wasn’t necessarily sexual in nature, the Dark Pope melted into Omega’s touch, hoping his soft spot for his Quintessence Ghoul wouldn’t prove to be the liability he feared it would. “It will likely be your life, Omega,” he solemnly remarked as their eyes met.

The Aether Ghoul brushed his lips against Em’s. “So be it.” His eyes closed, and he disappeared from the room. 

The Dark Pope hung his head, his forehead creased. “It will likely be mine too.” 

***

It was a sleepless night for Omega. If not for the woman peacefully curled up against him with her head on his chest, he would certainly be tossing and turning. But as it was, he stared at the ceiling, deep in thought as he listened to Lillian’s gentle breathing. 

The Quintessence Ghoul felt like he had experienced a glitch in the matrix while he and Lillian made love a couple hours prior. As he gazed down at her, Omega realized that he was looking at a younger version of the woman he loved. Not only that, the bed was completely different, as was the bedroom itself. When he blinked, everything returned to normal. This didn’t just happen once, but a few times. He thought he was losing his mind as he continued to thrust into his lover. 

Lillian stirred in her sleep. Omega kissed the top of her head and smoothed her hair. “I love you,” he whispered. 

He felt her eyelashes flutter against his chest. And then, in a sleepy voice, four words he longed to hear, and one that he wasn’t expecting. “I love you too, Martin…” 

Omega jolted upright, fully awakening Lillian in the process. “What…what did you call me?” 

She blinked at him, trying to process his question. “What do you mean? I called you…” Lillian trailed off and the color drained from her face as the realization hit her of whose name she had said. 

It hit him like a ton of bricks: not only was Martin the name of her son, but it was also the name of her deceased husband. The Quintessence Ghoul quickly slides out of her bed, scrambling around the room to grab his clothes and get dressed. “I’m sorry, I…I have to go,” he stammered. 

He was gone before she could even reach out for him or beg him to stay. 

It felt like his world was spinning. He could see Martin and Lillian together, like old video footage that somebody had taken of them. Lillian cuddled up against him as they watched the sunrise. Martin’s arms wrapped around her as they watched the sunset from the edge of a lake. Lillian smiling up at Martin after they had just had sex, him twirling her hair around his fingers. Lillian and Martin on Halloween, smiling at each other as they left a friend’s party. Martin standing over her in a hospital bed. Lillian standing over his gravesite. 

Omega bolts to his hotel room’s bathroom and falls to his knees in front of the toilet, the contents of his stomach abruptly ejected. 

Once he was able to somewhat calm himself, he leaves his room and hurriedly walks down to Em’s room, loudly knocking on the door and likely waking other hotel guests in the process. He hears the door unlock from the other side, and the door cracks open. Em’s mismatched eyes strained against the bright lights of the hallway behind Omega. 

He grabs a fistful of his Quintessence Ghoul’s shirt and pulls him into the room, the door closing behind them. “Have you gone completely mad?” Em hissed at the rhythm guitarist. 

Omega grabs the Dark Pope by the shoulders as he fought back tears. “Who is Lillian, Em?” 

Em searched his Quintessence Ghoul’s face, seeing that he was obviously distraught. “You know I can’t tell you that, Omega.” 

The rhythm guitarist shook the Dark Pope, tears starting to fall down his cheeks. “Who the fuck is she, Em? She…she called me ‘Martin’. That was her husband, Em. Her _husband_! Was I...was I married? Was she my wife? Did I have a kid?” His eyes widened. “Did you take me from them?” 

The Dark Pope was speechless for one of the few times in his life, and the look on his face told Omega all he needed to know. The Quintessence Ghoul’s normally calm façade breaks as he realizes that Em has been sleeping with his wife. “You’ve been fucking my _wife_ , Em?” His voice was thick with emotion, his breathing hitched as he sobbed. “How could you?” 

Emeritus, for his part, genuinely thought he had been doing something good by helping her and looking over her and Martin. “But Omega, I did it for you. It was your family,” he offered as an explanation, but suddenly recalling the conversation with his brother when Em had asked for his help in keeping Omega away from Lillian. 

_“Wait a moment,” the Dark Pope gruffly interrupted his brother. “You’ve been fucking Omega’s wife…?”_   
_“I’ve been attending to her needs, fratello,” Emeritus responded nonchalantly. “Including those of a sexual nature.”_   
_Papa gave a mirthless laugh as he rubbed his forehead. “And you don’t see a problem with that?”_   
_“Why would there be a problem? I’m watching over his family and helping them out.”_

Although the actions behind his relationship with Lillian were always benevolent, he finally was starting to understand why there might be a problem with it. 

Em watched helplessly as his Quintessence Ghoul sobbed, wanting desperately to comfort him but not knowing how. He walked over to the sofa that Omega was now sitting on, and sat next to him. The Dark Pope put his hand on the Aether Ghoul’s back, gently patting it. “Quintessence,” he said cautiously. “I’m…I’m sorry. I truly had the best intentions. I only wanted to watch over them because…because I cared so much about you.” 

Omega shook his head. “I c-can’t ta-talk to you r-right n-now, Em,” he sputtered through his waning sobs. 

And then he was gone. 

When the band was ready to head out on the road to the next stop on their tour, Omega was nowhere to be found. He wasn’t in his room, and his belongings had disappeared along with him; they had searched the hotel and came up empty. Add to it, the Quintessence Ghoul was not responding to any text messages, and his phone went directly to voicemail when they attempted to call. 

Papa even resorted to texting Lillian to see if she had seen or heard from him, which she hadn’t since last night’s events. Reluctantly, the decision was made to leave without Omega in order to stay on schedule. While the hope was that the rhythm guitarist would arrive in time for the next ritual the following night, a contingency plan was put in place in case he didn’t. 

When they reached their destination later that evening, nobody had seen hide nor hair of the Quintessence Ghoul. And that continued through the night and into the next day. It was looking more and more like they were going to have to proceed with Plan B, which would see Water taking over Omega’s rhythm guitar duties, and a crew member that happened to be an especially gifted guitar player suiting up for the night and taking on Water’s bass guitar duties, and after Omega missed sound check, the call was made: Plan B it was. 

When the ghouls filed into their dressing room to get ready for the ritual, they found their missing bandmate in the room, and already in his costume. Water was especially happy to see Omega; while he was fully prepared to be rhythm guitarist for the night, he was relieved he wouldn’t have to. 

After he was summoned to Papa’s dressing room, Omega left the ghouls’ shared dressing room and walked down the corridor to Papa’s. He knocked on the door, and then opened it when he heard their lead singer’s voice telling him to come in. The Quintessence Ghoul walked in, closing the door behind him, and turned to face Em. “You wanted to see me, Papa?” he said as he clasped his hands behind his back and bowed his head, his face obscured by his mask. 

Em rose from the chair he’d been sitting on and walked over to Omega. “If I had any sense at all, Aether,” he scolded. “I would send you out to the tour bus and make you wait for us, and let Water perform in your stead.” 

Omega nodded. “Yes, Papa. I understand.” 

He took a step closer to his ghoul and put his hands on the rhythm guitarist’s upper arms. “That being said,” he began. “I’m quite certain poor Water was going to defecate himself if he had to do your parts tonight.” 

The Quintessence Ghoul looked quizzically at Papa, who grimaced at the thought of Water losing his bodily functions. After a moment of silence, both men start to laugh, and the laughter continued until both had tears in their eyes. 

Papa embraced his Aether Ghoul. “Thank you for joining us, Quintessence,” he said softly as Omega returned the embrace. 

Afterwards, they moved to the sofa for a quick conversation. Em put his hand on the rhythm guitarist’s thigh. “Have you talked to Lillian since last night?” 

Omega shook his head. “No. I mean, I _need_ to talk to her, but I’m just not ready for it.”

Em nodded his head in understanding. “She is worried about you though, Omega. Would you like me to tell her you’re okay and will see her soon?” 

The Quintessence Ghoul caught the Dark Pope’s mismatched eyes. “Please? But…but I want to be the one to tell her who I am, Em. That should come from me.” 

Papa sighs, but again nods his head in understanding. “Yes, Omega. That should come from you. I’m afraid we’re going to have hell to pay over this though, literally.” 

Em relayed Omega’s message to Lillian later that night after their ritual, but “soon” was an undetermined amount of time that ended up being several weeks. Lillian kept watch for him with the cat’s aid, but there was no sign of him. But then a few days before Christmas, she noticed as she was getting ready for work that Morgan was sitting on the arm of the chair that Omega would occupy during his early visits, and that the cat looked awfully satisfied…like she did when somebody was petting her. 

She felt her heart rate increase at the thought that he was finally here. “Omega…?” 

Lillian walks across the room and stands in front of the chair. “Omega, please. I-I wish you’d talk to me. Please?” 

But there was no response. She sits on the edge of her bed and gives him a few minutes. 

Lillian sighs. “Omega, I don’t know what’s going on, but…I want to show you something. If you’re there, please come with me.” 

She leaves the room, walks down the stairs, and then grabs her keys and purse off the dining room table. Omega stayed in the chair, continuing to pet Morgan. He heard the car start from outside, and sighed to himself. He gave the cat a few final pets, and then the Quintessence Ghoul closed his eyes, finding himself next to Lillian in her car when he opened his eyes again. He didn’t, however, reveal himself to her. 

She puts the car in reverse and backs out of the driveway and into the street, and then puts the car in drive and begins their trip, heading in the opposite direction of her office. Lillian looked at the empty space next to her, wondering if he was there, deciding to talk to him like he was. 

“When I was a freshman in college, I met this handsome and immensely talented musician. Some friends and I happened to catch his band at a local club, and I don’t want to say it was ‘love at first sight’ because it sounds like such a cliché, but it was love at first sight. We didn’t get off to the best start though; I accidentally spilled a drink on him that night, and then he lost my number before he had the chance to call me. It wasn’t until almost three months later that we saw each other again. He’d been visiting my college campus several times a week during those three months, trying to find me. I had assumed that – despite his initial interest – he had changed his mind, so I didn’t try to find him; imagine my surprise when I saw him that day!” Lillian chuckles at the memory, and then she sighs. “After that day, we were inseparable. I moved in with him after about a year, and we got engaged the following year. We got married shortly after my 21st birthday, and found out we were expecting a couple of months later. He was so excited to be a father, but he never got the chance…”


	11. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Omega pays Lillian a visit once he's able to come to terms with being her husband, but will she be able to do the same?

The snow crunched under Lillian’s feet as she approached her husband’s gravesite. She ran her gloved hand over the top of his tombstone, clearing the snow that had settled during the last snowfall. Lillian looks around, seeing that she’s still alone, wishing that Omega would show himself. Even after so many years, it was still difficult to accept that Martin was gone, and she longed to be in the Quintessence Ghoul’s comforting embrace right now. 

Lillian wrapped her arms around herself, partially for warmth, but also for solace. “Martin loved Halloween, so it was somewhat ironic that he died on his favorite holiday. Every year, a friend of ours would have a party, and of course we’d go. We were in a car accident on our way home from the party, and originally, the doctors didn’t think I was going to make it. They did all they could, but I was in really rough shape. Imagine their surprise when it was Martin that passed away, not me. I knew the moment I opened my eyes the next day that he was gone. I could just… _feel_ it.” 

She crouches next to the headstone, looking upon it with a sad smile on her face. “The _Ever Thine. Ever Mine. Ever Ours._ on his headstone came from a book of the greatest love letters of all time that I bought for him. He always said that because he was so ridiculously happy, it kind-of affected his songwriting to where he had lost his edge. So, I semi-jokingly bought it for him so he’d have something sad to read for inspiration in order to maintain what he felt he had lost once we got together. One of his favorites was Beethoven’s _Immortal Beloved_ , because it was tragic in a way that the composer and this mystery woman, his _Immortal Beloved_ , couldn’t be together as they wanted.” 

Lillian sets her hand on the chilled granite, gently patting it. “We became a tragic love story in our own right, didn’t we, buddy?” She sighs as she rises to her feet again. “Anyway, I made a surprisingly fast recovery. I took to joking that I had regenerative powers like Wolverine from _X-Men_ , but this was before the movies were out, so nobody really understood my reference. People finally got it once the movies were made though; thank you, Hugh Jackman!” She chuckles. “Martin, our son, was born the following April. As soon as I found out we were having a boy, I talked to his mom to make sure she was alright with me naming the little guy after him. It was a bittersweet thing for all of us that loved Martin: we had lost him so suddenly, but then we kind-of got a piece of him back when the baby was born. And he looks so much like his father! Aside from my smile, he’s his dad from head to toe.”

She pauses as she stares off into the distance at nothing in particular, another car entering the graveyard bringing her back into focus. Lillian shakes her head. “I don’t know if you’re here or not, Omega, but I hope you are. I felt like I should tell you about Martin, especially after what happened, and I’m so sorry I freaked you out like that. I…I miss you, and I wish you’d come back because…because I really do love you.” A tear escapes her eye and rolls down her cheek. “If you’re able to get away for awhile on Christmas Eve, you should stop by. If you’re ready, I mean. No pressure. I’d just…I’d just love to see you, Omega.” 

Lillian pulls her cell phone out of her coat pocket, and looks at the time. “I have to get to work for a meeting, so please just think about it, okay?” She returns the phone to her pocket, pats the headstone, and then walks away. 

A few days later, it was Christmas Eve again, and Lillian and Martin’s night was nearly identical to the previous year. The only lighting in the room came from the Christmas tree, other assorted Christmas lights that decorated the space, and the TV. She was sitting on the sofa with her feet on the ottoman, and her son was laying on his side with his head resting on a pillow atop his mother’s lap as the duo again watched the annual TNT marathon of _A Christmas Story_. 

It was still relatively early; they were only on their second viewing of the movie. Lillian thought to herself that if Omega were to show up, it would likely be at a later time as he had last year… _if he decides to show at all._

About halfway through the movie, something caught Morgan’s attention. She hopped down from her perch on the back of the sofa, sauntered towards the door, and sat in the entryway. Martin looks up at his mom. “What is she doing, mom? Morgan never sits over there.” 

Lillian narrows her eyes as she recalls all the times that their cat announced Omega’s presence, and she wondered… “I think somebody might be-“ Her words were cut off by a knock on the door. Martin jumps up and walks over to the door, looking out the small window in the door to see who was there. “Who is it, Martin?” 

Martin looks back at his mom with a look of excitement on his face. “It’s Omega!” he said in a loud whisper. Her jaw drops a bit, but she recovers quickly enough to tell her son to let their guest in. 

The young man unlocks and opens the door, coming face-to-face with the Quintessence Ghoul. “Hey Omega!” He offers his fist to the rhythm guitarist, who responds with a fist bump and a smile. “Merry Christmas, Martin!” 

For the first time since they first met, the Aether Ghoul is aware that Martin is his son, and he did his best not to get emotional over it. He reached out for the young man and pulls him into an embrace. “Good to see you,” he said softly to the boy. Martin returned the embrace. “Good to see you too, Omega,” he responded. 

Once he was able to fight back some tears, Omega opened his eyes to see Lillian standing in the middle of the room with an unreadable expression on her face. He pats Martin on the back as they start to separate. “Hey, there are a few things in the car for you and your mom. Would you mind grabbing them?” 

Martin quickly throws on his shoes and grabs a jacket, closing the door behind him. Lillian and the Quintessence Ghoul keep their eyes locked on each other as he kicks his shoes off and slips out of his jacket, hanging it on the coat rack by the door. He takes a step closer to her, “Lillian…” 

She opens her mouth to respond, but no words come out. Instead, a few tears leak from her eyes and roll down her cheeks. He closes the space between them, enveloping her in his strong arms, crushing her to his chest. Omega kisses the top of her head, smoothing her hair with one of his large hands as he lets her cry. 

Lillian heard her son approaching outside, so she pulls away from Omega, turning around to face the other way so Martin wouldn’t be able to see her tearstained face. The door opens, and the young man enters with a multitude of wrapped gifts. “Holy shit, Omega! There’s still more in the car!” the boy exclaimed with a huge grin on his face. He sets the packages down by the tree as the Quintessence Ghoul chuckles. “I might’ve gone overboard, Martin. I’ve never been Christmas shopping before, and it was fun!” 

Martin laughs and shakes his head. “Whatever, man. It’s awesome! I’ll be right back with the rest.” And with that, he was out the door again, closing it behind him. 

The Aether Ghoul returns his attention to Lillian, standing behind her, running his hands up and down her upper arms. She turns around to face him. “I didn’t think you’d come…” she said in a hushed voice. 

Omega wraps his arms around her again, kissing her forehead. “I’m here, Lil. I’m here. I…we have a lot to talk about after Martin goes to bed, okay?” 

Lillian nods into the rhythm guitarist’s chest. He puts a finger under her chin, raising it up so she was looking at him. He lowers his head and brushes his lips against hers repeatedly until it wasn’t enough and both needed more. “Fuck…” he growled as his mouth covered hers. His lips parted, as did hers, and their tongues teased and explored each other. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he backed her into the wall, pressing his body against hers as they kissed hungrily. Neither heard this time when Martin entered the house again, who awkwardly stood in the entryway and watched his mom and his favorite musician making out like a couple of teenagers. He cleared his throat, hoping to get their attention. 

That did the trick. 

Omega chuckled and grinned sheepishly, while Lillian, who was also laughing, put her hands over her face and hid in the Quintessence Ghoul’s chest. Martin, for his part, quickly overcame his shock. He smirked and shrugged, and then went about putting his armload of gifts with the other packages. “It’s alright, Omega. Half of my friends have crushes on my mom, so I’m kind-of used to it,” he explains. “Plus, I’m pretty sure Uncle Arvid has a thing for you, mom.” 

Lillian almost choked, but didn’t respond. After she got involved with Omega, Lillian had ended the sexual portion of her relationship with the handsome drummer, but they still remained as close as ever. 

The Aether Ghoul recognized Arvid’s name, but couldn’t place him. “Arvid?” 

Martin nodded. “Yeah, he’s my uncle. My dad’s younger brother. He’s awesome. You should meet him sometime, Omega.” 

Omega nods slowly as hazy memories of his younger brother enter his mind. “I’d like that, Martin,” he said thoughtfully as his lips curled into a smile. 

After opening some of Omega’s gifts (and saving the rest for the next morning), Lillian and Martin introduced Omega to _A Christmas Story_ , and the trio settled in to watch the movie until the young man decided to go to bed a couple of hours later. 

Lillian curled up against the Quintessence Ghoul’s solid form, and he took it a step further by whisking her onto his lap. She looped an arm around Omega’s neck, and rested her forehead against his. After several minutes of holding each other in silence, the Aether Ghoul finally spoke. “I missed you so much,” he whispered as he cupped her cheek in his hand. Lillian closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. “I missed you too,” she whispered back. 

It had been too long since he’d last held her; Omega allowed himself a few more minutes before setting about the difficult task of explaining to Lillian that he is her husband. His memories were hazy at best, and it felt like he was piecing together a puzzle in his mind, one that was slowly taking shape. Their seating arrangements adjusted, Lillian now sat on the sofa with the Quintessence Ghoul on the ottoman in front of her, and he held her hands in his. “Lillian, with what I’m about to tell you, the fact that I’m a ghoul is about to become the second strangest thing I’ve ever told you,” he began, to which she softly chuckled at the memory of last Christmas’s revelation. “As you’re aware, I’ve been trying to figure out our connection, and…and I finally know why.” 

Lillian tilted her head in curiosity. “You do…?” 

Omega nodded, and then continued. “I wasn’t always a ghoul, Lillian. None of us were. We were all once humans, but for one reason or another, we all chose to leave that life and begin this one. We don’t retain our memories of our past lives, nor do we look the same. I could pass my loved ones on the street and not recognize them, and vice versa. Very rarely, however, some memories do return, and that’s what happened with me, how I was led to you, Lillian.” He took a deep breath. “It’s because…it’s because I was Martin in my previous life.” 

The Quintessence Ghoul watches Lillian process his news, her face awash with shifting emotions, searching for words. After what felt like a lifetime, Lillian’s brows drew together and her eyes pierced him. “Why did you leave me? I’ve had to raise our son alone!”

“I don’t remember, I’m sorry. I…I don’t know why, Lil. I’m still trying to make sense of this, but-“

She withdrew her hands from his, shaking her head. “Why, Omega? Have you any fucking idea how hard it’s been?” 

Omega reached out for her, but she further withdrew. “Lil, please. I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s been incredibly difficult, and I-“

“Why did you leave me? Why the fuck did you leave me? We had our life together in front of us, but you fucking left me!” Her jaw clenched as she fought back angry tears in a battle she would soon lose. 

“I…I…Lil, please…” the Aether Ghoul sputtered exasperatedly. 

“Fuck you, Martin…Omega…whoever the fuck you are. Why? Just why?” The dam broke, and she buried her face in her hands as she sobbed. 

A piece of the puzzle in his head settled into place, and Omega rose to his feet, his voice also rising. “You want to know why, Lillian?” 

Her head whipped up, and her lips drew back in a snarl. “YES, goddamn it!”

“I didn’t have a choice!” he roared down at her before pausing to calm himself so he could continue. “I didn’t want to leave you. It was the only way, Lil. It was the only way. I was assured that you and our son would be fine, that you’d have good long lives. But you wouldn’t have if I hadn’t left. I couldn’t live with that.” 

Lillian narrowed her teary eyes and shook her head emphatically. “How did you not have a choice? You made your fucking choice by leaving us!” 

The Quintessence Ghoul threw his hands up in the air. “Because you were going to fucking die, Lil, both you and the baby. You weren’t going to make it through the goddamn night. I did it to save your lives!” Omega grabs Lillian, pulling her to her feet. He takes her face in his hands, and their lips crash together with furiously raw emotion. She tried pushing him away, but his lips held sway over her as they had so many years ago, their lips stuck together like opposite sides of a magnet. 

Lillian soon recognized that fighting what she already knew to be true was futile. 

She gave up the fight, and surrendered herself to Omega.


	12. Old Habits Die Hard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old habits die hard as Lillian and Omega welcome another lover into the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, but I hope you'll find that this chapter was worth it ;)

Lillian’s eyes opened, and she was momentarily startled by her unfamiliar surroundings. Once the fog of sleep started to lift, she remembered that she was in the spare bedroom in her basement. 

That _they_ were in the spare bedroom in her basement. 

She looked to her right and smiled to herself when she saw the Quintessence Ghoul next to her, still sound asleep. He was sprawled across the bed on his stomach, a peaceful look on his face as he snored softly. They had had the wherewithal the previous night to steal away to the basement where they were able to abandon restraint and not concern themselves with waking up Martin, the sex-scented room a testament to that absence of restraint. 

Lillian grimaced slightly when she thought of the dried sweat and bodily fluids from both of them on her body, and the area between her legs was a sticky mess from the many times Omega climaxed in her. A shower was definitely in order. She slid out of the bed, leaving the Aether Ghoul to sleep a bit longer, and walked into the adjoining bathroom. A few minutes later, she stood under the warm stream of water, washing off the physical evidence of the previous night. 

This latest development with Omega was a lot to process, but then, everything in regards to him had been since early on. She knew it to be true though; she could _feel_ it. There was still much uncertainty and plenty to be decided, but Lillian hoped they would be able to find a way to be together, especially considering Omega’s obligations to the band and church. 

Once she felt sufficiently clean, she stepped from the shower, secured a towel around her body, and then made her way to the laundry room where Lillian knew she would find some clean clothes for herself. She hit pay dirt, tossing on some clothes before making her way back to the spare bedroom to check on Omega. He was still sprawled across the bed in the position she had left him in, but there were now signs of life. 

The Quintessence Ghoul lifted his head, trying to blink the bleariness of sleep from his eyes. He looked around the room, catching sight of Lillian in the doorway, giving her a sleepy smile. She crosses the room, and sits next to him on the bed. “Good morning,” she said softly as she smoothed her hand across his back. 

Omega gave Lillian a sleepy smile. “Good morning yourself. How long have you been up?” 

She shrugs. “Maybe a half hour or so? Take a shower when you’re ready to get up, and then we can finish opening presents, okay?” Lillian leans over and kisses him on the cheek. 

The Aether Ghoul yawns and stretches. “Okay. I’ll see you upstairs in a bit then. Love you, Lil.” 

She gives her sleepy Ghoul another kiss. “Love you too.” 

Lillian left the room and went upstairs to find Martin on the sofa, watching _A Christmas Story_. And he had company. 

“Tobias!” she exclaimed, shocked to see him as she didn’t know whether or not he was aware that Omega was also there. “I wasn’t expecting to see you!” 

He smiles and motions for her to join him on the sofa. “I just dropped by to wish you both a Merry Christmas and to watch a little _A Christmas Story_ with this guy.” Tobias nods his head in Martin’s direction. 

Lillian sits on the sofa between Martin and Tobias, curling up against the latter after he put his arm around her and pulled her closer. 

Martin smirked. “Mom, he’s never seen this movie. Can you believe that?” 

She looked at Tobias and chuckled. “Actually, Martin, I _can_ believe that.” Tobias smirked in response. 

The young man’s attention returned to the movie, and Tobias whispered to Lillian. “You can relax, Lil. I know he’s here. I helped him with his shopping for you and Martin.” He then kissed the side of her head. 

Lillian let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Tobias,” she said softly as she leaned her head against his. 

“Did he tell you?” Tobias asked as they continued their conversation in hushed tones, to which Lillian nodded. “I hope you understand that I couldn’t tell you myself, Lil. I’m sorry.” 

She takes his hand in hers. “I know you couldn’t. I appreciate that you were always there for us, for everything you’ve done.” 

He kissed the side of her head again. “Don’t thank me yet, Lil. There are still things to be worked out, okay? But you, Martin, and Omega are very important to me, so I’ll do what I can.” 

Martin rises from the sofa, turning to face Lillian and Tobias. “Want anything from the kitchen?” 

Tobias shakes his head, and Lillian smiles softly at her son. “We’re good, honey, but thank you.” 

The young man heads towards the kitchen, leaving Tobias and Lillian alone in the living room.

Refocusing on Tobias, Lillian turns her head enough to look him in the eye, cupping his cheek in her hand as he leans into her touch. “You’ll always be very important to us too, Tobias.” She leans forward and gives him a chaste kiss, though both wanted more. Prior to Arvid, he had been the only lover she had known for more than a decade, and as it’s often said, old habits die hard. 

He leaned his forehead against hers once the kiss ended, licking his lips. And then dark and low, he slipped into his true voice. “My _ghuleh_ , how I wish I could fuck you right now…” 

She tingled at the thought; it had been too long since she had felt his touch. “But Omega…?”

“Omega,” Tobias began, still with his Papa voice, pausing to gently bite her bottom lip. “Can either watch…” Another pause, this time for a quick but heated kiss. “…or join us.” 

Lillian’s eyes widened at the thought, wondering if he would be interested in such a thing, hoping he would. “Do you think he would…?”

“There’s only one way to find out, _ghuleh_ ,” he cooed at her. 

Almost on cue, Omega entered the room, his hair still wet from the shower he had just taken. “Find out what, Tobias?” He arched an eyebrow in curiosity and smirked as he sat on the sofa next to Lillian. 

Tobias winked at Lillian. “You’ll have to ask Lillian, my dear Omega.” 

She turns to face her Ghoul, her back now facing Tobias, who takes the opportunity to sweep her hair up in one hand to expose her neck. He waggles his eyebrows at Omega as his mouth approaches her sensitive flesh. “Would you consider…” Lillian trails off as Tobias runs his tongue along the crook of her neck, her eyes half-lidded. 

The Quintessence Ghoul could smell her arousal increasing as Tobias continues up her neck, to her ear, tracing its shell, and then whispering to her, “Use your words, my sweet _ghuleh_. Tell your Ghoul what you desire.” 

Lillian felt like she was playing Russian roulette: her son would be returning to the room at any given moment, and she didn’t want him to catch them like this. “…a threesome, please, Omega?” 

Omega’s eyes darkened as he watched the lead singer wrap an arm around Lillian and cup her breast as his mouth again found her neck. He swallowed hard, his own arousal becoming evident. “Do you want Tobias…or the other guy?” 

She moaned as Tobias’s teeth sunk into her neck, not drawing any blood, but definitely leaving a mark. They heard footsteps approaching, making themselves decent and doing what they could to mask their respective arousals. Omega slid over on the sofa a bit to make more room for Martin, who sat next to the Quintessence Ghoul. The young man offered his heaping plate of nachos to Omega, who happily helped himself as he hadn’t had anything to eat yet and was hungry. 

The remaining gifts were eventually opened, and Lillian was pleased with herself that she had bought _just-in-case_ presents for both Omega and Tobias in case either stopped by. Afterwards, Tobias helped her clean up the wrapping paper and empty boxes while Omega helped Martin hook up the new Playstation 4 he had bought for the young man. The Aether Ghoul was especially excited to show Martin a few games he had also purchased for him as they were favorites that he, Alpha, and Earth would play on their PS4 when the ghouls had downtime on the bus. 

Once the room was tidied up, Lillian and Tobias settled in on the sofa and watched Omega and Martin play video games. For Lillian, the fact that this was the closest they had ever been to being a complete family was highly affecting, and she couldn’t help but get misty-eyed each time the thought occurred to her. As if he could read her mind, Tobias would give her a knowing look, hand her the box of tissues, and then put his arm around her without saying a word. 

Day turned to evening, and evening to night, and eventually, Martin bid Omega, Tobias, and his mom a good night before retiring to his room. Now that they were alone, they had some unfinished business to attend to. The trio exchanged looks as they sat together on the sofa; Omega was the first to speak. “So, are we going to do this…?” 

Without saying another word, they made their way to the basement and into the spare bedroom that Lillian and Omega had spent the previous night in. Lillian decided to take a quick shower first, leaving Tobias and the Quintessence Ghoul alone. 

“Think she’ll mind if we start without her…?” Tobias pondered aloud as he sauntered towards Omega. 

The Aether Ghoul chuckled and then tutted the other man. “Impatient, aren’t we?” 

As he walked, Tobias took his true form. Standing before Omega, Papa Emeritus III put his hands on the Ghoul’s chest. While one hand remained, the other drifted down his abdomen and stomach, palming his crotch. “You know how much I love _this_ , Quintessence.” He added a gentle squeeze for emphasis. 

Omega lowered his head and ghosted his lips over Em’s. They gazed intently at each other, feeling each other’s hot breath, their lips not touching. Papa’s hands moved to his rhythm guitarist’s button and zipper, his fingers deftly undoing both. He pushed Omega’s jeans down around his thighs, freeing his rapidly hardening cock, and then taking it in his hand, firmly stroking its length. Omega removed his shirt, backing away from Em. He sits on the edge of the bed, removing his jeans the rest of the way, and tossing them on the floor before positioning himself on the bed with his back against the padded headboard. Papa removed his own clothes, and then slid on his stomach between his Aether Ghoul’s legs. 

The lead singer ran his tongue along the underside of his Quintessence Ghoul’s cock, savoring the bit of precum that had seeped from his slit. He then took Omega’s cock in his mouth, effortlessly devouring it. Omega threaded his fingers in Em’s hair, guiding Papa’s bobbing head up and down, both men getting lost in themselves and not seeing Lillian standing in the bathroom doorway with a towel wrapped around her body. 

Lillian watched in silence, transfixed by the act of intimacy between her lovers, not wanting to interrupt their enjoyment of each other. Omega had been open and honest about his involvement with Emeritus, so this did not surprise her in the least bit. She happily played the part of the voyeurist as her Ghoul was pleased in a way that was simultaneously similar and different to the pleasure she was able to provide him. 

It was several minutes before Lillian realized that she herself was being watched. Feeling eyes upon her, she shifted her gaze to Omega, whose half-lidded eyes were fixed on her. He extended a hand in her direction with a smirk, and she crossed the room, letting her towel drop to the floor, joining the two men on the bed. She kneeled next to Omega, getting a closer view of Papa working her Ghoul’s cock with his mouth and hands. Lillian felt the Quintessence Ghoul’s fingers on her face, turning her head to face him. Once he had her attention, his hand slipped to the back of her head, pulling her in for a kiss; their lips slammed together, the kiss fiery, demanding, and passionate. His tongue pressed along the seam of her lips, and she granted him access. Lillian swallowed her Ghoul’s moans as Em continued his ministrations. Neither wanted the kiss to end, but both needed to come up for air. They breathlessly separated with Lillian resting her forehead against Omega’s. 

She felt fingers run gently up and down her spine, and turned her head to see Papa on his knees next to her. Their lips met, the kiss a stark contrast to the one she just shared with Omega. Eyes wide open, Lillian was mesmerized by the mismatched orbs that gazed into hers as they shared a tender and slow kiss that grew more and more sloppy as it continued.

The Quintessence Ghoul took his own cock into one hand, his other hand seeking and finding Em’s. He stroked both deliberately and steadily as he watched Lillian and Emeritus kiss for the first time. Their lips parted, and Lillian hesitatingly brought her fingers towards his face. He nodded, granting her permission, and she proceeded to softly run her fingertips over the black and white markings on his face. Where she had always found Tobias very attractive, there was something strikingly handsome about Papa and his mismatched eyes, how his gaze pierced her very core and made her ache for him. 

Omega shifted his position, reclining slightly against the headboard, and he then guided Lillian into position over him so she was on her knees, her body bent over his with her ass in the air, his mouth covering hers in a hungry kiss. Em moved behind her, smacking one of her ass cheeks as she yelped into her Ghoul’s mouth; he chuckled in response into hers. Crouched in back of Lillian, Papa fingered and licked her pussy in preparation for what was to come. Once he was satisfied with his work, he straightened his back and adjusted her positioning so she was at the right trajectory for what he had planned for her next. He smacked her other ass cheek, smiling at the sound it evoked from her. He grabbed his cock in one hand, running it between her folds, teasing her clit with his cockhead before lining himself up with her opening and thrusting himself in completely; Omega swallowed her cries of passion as he watched his friend and lover fuck Lillian with wanton abandonment. 

Em kept up a persistent pace, fucking her fast, deep, and hard, and it wasn’t long before he brought Lillian to her first orgasm of the night. Knowing full well the effects of her orgasms and not wanting to cum himself quite yet, he pulled out, quickly replacing his cock with his fingers, plunging them in and out at the same punishing pace as she rode out her climax on his hand. 

She breathlessly collapsed on Omega, spent from powerful orgasm she just experienced. Still behind her, Papa took the opportunity to slide their Ghoul’s cock into Lillian’s still quivering cunt. She whimpered as he slowly thrust himself into her, filling her completely. He held her against him, her breasts pressed against his chest, her heart beating wildly as she started rocking against him, meeting his thrusts, until she eventually took over. Lillian shook free of his arms, straightening her posture and her positioning so she was straddling him on her knees. She rose and fell against his length, his hands on her clenching thighs. Her pace increased, and Omega knew she was getting close to another orgasm; he was teetering on the edge himself. He grabbed her hips and held her in place, thrusting his hips upwards repeatedly fast and hard until both met their end. With a final thrust and grunt, he spilled his seed deep within Lillian, feeling her walls spasming around his girth. 

Papa had taken up the space on the bed next to Omega, enthralled by his lovers as he stroked his own cock, not minding the lack of attention from Lillian and his Quintessence Ghoul. Post-orgasm, she collapsed on Omega again, both trying to regain their faculties. Her head on her Ghoul’s chest, she watched Em’s hand as it moved along his length. She bit her lip and shifted her eyes to meet Papa’s mismatched gaze. “Would you…like some help, Papa?” He silently nodded in response. “How do you want me?”

“Ride me, please. I want to feel his cum in you…” Emeritus managed to say as he continued stroking himself, growing ever closer to his own culmination. Lillian made her way from Omega to Papa, positioning his cock and then sinking onto it. She grinded herself against him while his hands moved to her breasts, rolling her nipples between his fingers. The longer she fucked him, the more he could feel a mixture of her juices and Omega’s cum pooling around the base of his cock. Em held on for as long as he could, finally letting go when their Quintessence Ghoul unexpectedly joined in by rubbing a saliva-slickened finger against the lead singer’s taint. 

Lillian made herself comfortable in the space between her lovers as they rested up for the many rounds yet to come that night, and she pondered to herself the lyrics from one of her favorite songs, “ _if everything could ever feel this real forever, if anything could ever be this good again_ ”?

It would still be several months, but she would eventually find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is still SO MUCH more to come! And just in time for the holidays, III will be receiving a special gift from a yet-to-be-introduced character. I don't think there's any way to prepare you for what's just around the corner...
> 
> Source(s):
> 
> Foo Fighters, _Everlong_ , https://genius.com/Foo-fighters-everlong-lyrics


	13. Letting the Ghoul Out of the Bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The New Year gets off to an interesting start as a cat is let out of the bag.

The New Year got off to an interesting start for the Persner household. Omega had been spending a lot of time with Lillian and Martin while the tour was on its hiatus, and being in such close proximity led to the cat being let out of the bag, so to speak. Make that the _ghoul_ being let out of the bag. 

It was Lillian’s first day back at work after her company’s holiday shutdown, while Martin had one more day off from school before classes resumed. Once he finally crawled out of bed and started to head downstairs, he heard Morgan meowing from behind the closed door of Lillian’s room. 

The young man slowly opened the door, as quiet as possible, and Morgan ran into the hallway. As he was closing the door, he noticed that Omega didn’t look quite right. From where Martin stood, he could’ve sworn the rhythm guitarist’s skin was a grayish color. He closed the door, telling himself it was just the lighting in the room. But curiosity got the best of him. 

He cracked the door open again, and slipped in the room, quietly walking towards the bed. The young man’s eyes had not been deceiving him: Omega’s skin indeed was gray. Not only that, but Martin noticed a thin dark tail hanging over the edge of the bed that appeared to be connected to the still sleeping man. 

Martin crept closer. Upon further inspection, he noticed the slightly curved dark horns jutting from the rhythm guitarist’s head. “Holy shit…” he whispered to himself, unable to believe what he was seeing. As he stared at Omega, caught somewhere between being terrified and awestruck, the man’s eyes opened, causing Martin to scream and fall backwards as he attempted to flee the room. He continued to scream as he scooted backwards across the floor from the position he landed in. “Oh fuck, oh fuck…!”

Omega jumped out of bed, thoroughly confused. He first realized he was naked. Embarrassed, he bent over to pick up his pajama pants, seeing the color of his skin as he reached. The Quintessence Ghoul quickly transitioned back to his normal appearance, and then slid his pants on. Martin had stopped screaming, but he was still on the floor, frozen in place as he watched Omega. 

The Aether Ghoul ran his fingers through his hair and sighed as he looked down at Martin. “Fuck, Martin. I’m sorry. Are you okay?” He took a few steps forward and crouched in front of the frightened young man. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions.” 

“Does…does mom know about this?” Martin managed to ask. Omega nodded as he stood up, extending his arm towards Martin. Hesitantly, he took the rhythm guitarist’s hand, and Omega helped him to his feet. “She does, actually. I told her before we got…involved.” 

The Quintessence Ghoul sat on the edge of the bed, motioning for Martin to join him. The young man shook his head as he folded his arms across his chest. “No, I’ll stand.” He shifted nervously on his feet. “So, you’re really a ghoul then?” 

Omega nodded. “I am.”

Martin’s eyes narrowed. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but why were you like that when I walked in…?” 

The Aether Ghoul chuckled nervously as his face turned pink. The young man grimaced. “Oh, gross…you and mom fuck like that? Wait…don’t answer. _Please_.” He shook his head briskly as if he was trying to shake the thought out of his mind. “Have you always been a ghoul, Omega?” 

Omega shook his head, and then gestured towards the open spot on the bed next to him. “Sit down so we can talk, Martin.” 

The young man again declined. “No, sorry. It…it just seems like you’re going to try to have a father/son conversation with me, and it…and it weirds me out, Omega. If you want to date my mom, or whatever you’re doing with her, you don’t have to try to be my dad. In fact, _please_ don’t. I’ve gone my whole life without one, and I don’t need somebody trying to be one to me now, okay?” 

The Quintessence Ghoul studied Martin for a moment before speaking again. “Fair enough. But to answer your question, no…I haven’t always been a ghoul.” 

Martin’s eyes narrowed. “You used to be human?” Omega nodded. “So, what happened then?” 

The Aether Ghoul took a deep breath. “Man, I wish your mom was here right now…” 

The young man let out a mirthless laugh. “Why? Are you going to tell me that you were my dad when you were still human? Oh, what a fucking trip _that_ would be…!” 

“What if I was, Martin?” Omega’s eyes grew glossy as he gazed at his son. 

“I was kidding, Omega. _Kidding_!” 

The Quintessence Ghoul rose from the bed. He wiped a few stray tears that had fallen from his eyes. “I wasn’t, Martin,” he managed to say quietly as he attempted not to weep. Omega took a deep breath as he struggled to continue. “Your…your mom and I have been trying to figure out how to…how to tell you.”

Martin blinked a few times as he processed Omega’s words. “Well, it’s not like they make Hallmark cards for an occasion like this, I guess,” the young man deadpanned in a way that reminded Omega so much of Lillian, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. It was short-lived however, as the tears returned. “You have your mom’s sense of humor, Martin, and she did such a wonderful job of raising you.” This time, he made no effort to stop or wipe the tears away. 

The young man looked upon the Aether Ghoul in disbelief, wondering how any of this was even remotely possible. “You’re…you’re serious about this, aren’t you?” Omega could only nod as the tears flowed freely down his face; he was beyond the point of being able to speak and would only be able to sob if he even attempted to say something. 

Martin and Omega stood across from each other, the young man gaping at the Quintessence Ghoul as he continued to cry, the realization setting in that he was indeed in the presence of his father. He took a step forward, not quite certain of why. But then he took another step towards Omega, followed by a few more, and before he knew it, they were locked in a tight embrace, the Aether Ghoul freely sobbing. And at some point, the dam broke for Martin as well. 

Once their tears subsided, Omega brought his son up to speed on what he and Lillian already knew regarding their unique situation, explaining how it all came to be, and stressing the importance that this knowledge is kept between the three of them…and Tobias. The rhythm guitarist also shared with Martin the truth about their long-time family friend. It was a lot for the young man to digest, but Omega wasn’t entirely surprised when Martin took it all as much in stride as Lillian had, and the father and son spent the rest of the day hanging out together and playing video games.

Lillian, for her part, was relieved that everything was now out in the open with Martin so they could attempt to be some semblance of a family. 

The tour resumed at the end of the month, with this leg taking them through Europe. Because Martin and Lillian hadn’t been able to go on a proper honeymoon when they were first married, Omega and Lillian decided to spend time together in Paris while the band performed a series of shows throughout France. The rhythm guitarist fulfilled all of his obligations to the band, but spent the rest of his time with Lillian. They spent his off-days sight-seeing around the City of Lights, exploring all of the Parisian tourist traps they could fit in due to their somewhat limited time. The Quintessence Ghoul would teleport back and forth between French stops on the tour and Paris, bringing Lillian with him to most of the shows because she enjoyed watching Omega and Papa onstage.

After each night’s show, Omega would teleport himself and Lillian back to their Parisian hotel room, and they would fuck until they couldn’t keep their eyes open a moment longer. On a couple of occasions, Papa joined them in a continuation of what they started on Christmas Day. 

The Quintessence Ghoul brought Lillian home at the conclusion of their time in France, and then he joined the band in Italy. A few nights later, Papa and most of his ghouls were whisked off to Los Angeles in the Clergy’s private jet for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, of which Ghost had been nominated for Best Metal Performance. Air was unable to attend as he wasn’t feeling well, and both he and Papa agreed it would be best for him to stay behind and rest while he had the opportunity. Lillian and Martin excitedly watched the broadcast from home, thrilled for Papa, Omega, and the rest of the band when _Cirice_ took the award. 

Papa and his ghouls attended an after party to celebrate their win, and then it was time to fly back to Europe and continue their tour. The band was flying high both literally and figuratively now that they were bringing such a prestigious award back to the church, their celebration continuing during their flight. 

Again aboard the Clergy’s private jet, Papa and Omega were in the two reclining chairs, while Alpha and Earth were curled up together on the sofa; Water had made himself comfortable on the floor in front of the sofa and chairs. Several bottles of champagne later, the Dark Pope and his ghouls were feeling pretty invincible, and that was when the topic of potential successors to Papa Emeritus III came up.

From where he was on the floor, Water propped himself up on his elbows to look at Papa. “Papa, do you think the Clergy will let you remain as our leader now that we’ve won a Grammy?” 

“Yeah, especially since it’s something that neither of your brothers ever did,” Alpha chimed in. 

Papa folded his arms across his chest and swung one leg over the other as he thoughtfully looked at his ghouls. “I would hope so since there is no one else. Surely they wouldn't go outside the Emeritus bloodline.” 

Earth had been on the verge of falling asleep against Alpha, but perked up once he heard what was being discussed. “Is there any truth to the rumor that there's another Emeritus brother, Papa?” 

Em scoffs. “About as much truth as the rumor that Imperator had a child, my dear Earth.” 

Another major unverified rumor of the church was that Sister Imperator had once had a child. Nobody knew what happened to this child if it had ever existed in the first place, or even who the father could’ve been, but consensus was that it was Satan himself. 

“Speaking of Imperator, what about her little lap dog?” asked Water. 

Alpha snickered. “Little lap _rat_ is more appropriate!”

A new clergyman had recently transferred to the church and had quickly made himself indispensible to Sister Imperator and Papa Nihil. Cardinal Copia, as he was known, constantly followed Imperator around, doing her bidding. He seemed awkward in his words, actions, and deeds, but had ascended the ranks at a rather rapid pace. When he wasn’t kissing up to the Clergy or immersing himself in the church’s library, he would spend his time with the pet rats he kept in his room, appearing to prefer their company to anybody else’s. 

“Copia? That buffoon?” Papa couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the thought, and Omega chuckled. “Yeah, I don't think the Clergy has that much of a sense of humor,” the Quintessence Ghoul offered, to which the ghouls collectively laughed. 

Hearing his ghouls laugh about the new Cardinal left Papa feeling slightly guilty about his insult. While he didn’t disagree with the general opinion on the new Cardinal, the Dark Pope found something about the man oddly endearing, not to mention alluring. His chestnut brown hair, thick sideburns, the black face paint he wore around his green eyes, the thin lines of his mustache above his blackened upper lip, and what Papa imagined to be a rather lithe body under the red cassock he usually wore…

As he listened to Earth, Alpha, and Water go on about the Cardinal, comparing him to Verbal Kint from the movie _The Usual Suspects_ and hoping he doesn’t later go Keyser Söze on their asses, Omega drifted off to sleep, and the Dark Pope thought to himself that there was definitely _something_ about this polarizing man, something that Papa intended to explore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're unfamiliar but curious about _The Usual Suspects_...
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Usual_Suspects  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyser_S%C3%B6ze


	14. Employee of the Month

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Omega's exit from Ghost is presented to the members of the Clergy as Papa begins his Copia exploration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this is somewhat short, and that not a whole hell of a lot happens. More to come yet this week ;)

Papa nervously tapped his foot under the massive wooden table in the Clergy’s decadently-appointed boardroom. He looked around the table at the members, his eyes settling on the newest addition to the table, Cardinal Copia, who was listening intently as Sister Imperator droned on about church business. A ghoul fucked a sister of sin in the library and got his semen all over an ancient manuscript. Blah, blah, blah. A fire ghoul nearly set the kitchen aflame trying to make popcorn with his element instead of the microwave. Blah, blah, blah. 

As he continued to watch the Cardinal and let his mind wander far from the meeting room, he realized the oddly handsome man was now looking back at him. Copia cocked a curious eyebrow at Papa, to whom he offered a wink and a smirk. A blush spread across the Cardinal’s face as he averted Em’s gaze, causing Papa to chuckle inwardly. 

The Dark Pope had been laying the groundwork for Omega’s departure from the band for several weeks, and they had concocted a plan for a Ghost Outreach Program that would be helmed by Omega, paving the way for him to be with his family. Lillian had helped Papa and their Aether Ghoul put together a PowerPoint presentation on the proposed outreach program, and Omega was due to present next. Quintessence was the consummate professional, and the Dark Pope had every confidence in the world in him. This was his chance to have something resembling the life with Lillian and Martin that he didn’t get to have in his human form, and he knew the rhythm guitarist would not squander this opportunity. 

Em’s eyes continued to survey the room, his eyes rolling a bit as he watched how adoringly his father gazed upon Sister Imperator with his milky white eyes, who was now getting ready to present this month’s Employee of the Month Award. Papa’s eyes made their way back over to the Cardinal, only to find the Cardinal’s eyes already fixed on him. The two men stared each other down, both refusing to yield. He thought that this was rather bold of the typically shy Copia, and Papa could feel his body reacting to the intensity of the situation. 

The room was suddenly filled with applause, and they exchanged a confused look. 

“Cardinal Copia…?” came Sister Imperator’s voice from the front of the room, and the Cardinal’s head swiveled in response. “Yes, Sister?” 

Imperator put her hands on her hips and momentarily pursed her lips together. “You are the Employee of the Month. Please come up to get your award, Cardinal.” As he quickly rose from his seat, the Cardinal’s biretta fell from his head to the floor as he awkwardly tried to catch it before it fell the distance. Papa heard Sister Imperator sigh loudly as the room watched Copia stoop to pick up the red cap. _Impatient old nag, isn’t she?_ he thought to himself. 

The Cardinal successfully retrieved his biretta and clutched it against his chest in one hand as he shuffled to the front of the room to claim his award from Imperator. She handed the plaque to Copia, the two pausing to pose for a picture taken by a Sister of Sin in the back of the room for the monthly newsletter as the room was again filled with applause. The Dark Pope stifled a chuckle as he noted how the poor Cardinal looked like a deer caught in headlights, his green eyes wide and his mouth agape; his face was also growing redder and redder by the moment. 

Sister Imperator offered a hand to Cardinal Copia for a handshake, and he confusedly looked down at his own occupied hands. He shifted the biretta to his other arm, and then grasped her outstretched hand in his. She smiled at the man, and Papa tried to remember a time he had ever seen her smile so _warmly_ at anybody. In fact, he didn’t even think she was capable of it!

The Dark Pope sat back in his chair and stroked the dimple in his chin with his thumb, watching as the Cardinal embarrassedly made his way back to his place at the table, making brief eye contact with Papa as he sat back down, a few strands of his hair falling across his forehead as he leaned forward. Once he was seated, he pushed his hair back into position before returning the biretta to its place atop his head. 

Imperator finally reached the end of her list of topics, and she summoned Omega to the front of the room. Papa watched as his Quintessence Ghoul quickly hooked up his laptop and got himself situated for the presentation that would decide his future. He leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the table, and resumed the nervous tapping of his foot. 

From behind his mask, Omega took a deep breath, and then he launched into his presentation. The Dark Pope kept one eye on his Aether Ghoul, the other surveying the room, trying to get a pulse on the members of the Clergy as the rhythm guitarist spoke about the proposed outreach program for at-risk teens and young adults. Even when he felt the Cardinal’s eyes burning into him, Em resisted the temptation to return the heated gaze; he would deal with Copia later. 

As the presentation drew to its conclusion, Papa beamed with pride at Omega’s eloquence and passion, certain that they would be able to garner enough votes, if he was reading the room correctly. While it was a tough sell for the most popular ghoul to leave the band, surely the Clergy couldn’t expect him to do this forever and not have the opportunity for other endeavors when he had served the church and band so faithfully for so long. Past band ghouls had left for other pursuits; their original drummer had left to marry and start a family with a sister of sin, and Air’s son had left for a new project that was in its very early stages, Air using his seniority in Ghost to gain an exception for his Water. 

The Clergy members were understandably not without questions, the most burning being the timeline for Omega’s departure, and who his replacement would be. Papa’s plan was to find a new bassist and promote the current Water to rhythm guitar, with Omega staying with the band until the end of the Black to the Future tour, unless they were able to find and get Water’s replacement up to speed sooner. The bassist was already familiar with both Alpha and Omega’s lead and rhythm guitar parts, respectively, in case he ever needed to fill in for either in a pinch. Unbeknownst to anybody in the room except Papa and Omega, that had almost come to fruition once. 

The meeting was adjourned for a brief break with the vote next on the agenda once they resumed. Cardinal Copia stood alone in a corner with a fresh cup of coffee, sipping the hot liquid as he scanned the room. He watched as the Dark Pope and his Quintessence Ghoul embraced, seemingly celebrating before the vote had even taken place. The Cardinal knew the two were close, and he couldn’t help but wonder if there were ulterior motives behind Omega’s proposed departure from the Ghost Project. Before he was able to look away, Papa met his gaze. Em excused himself from his Aether Ghoul as another Clergy member approached Omega, and he sauntered across the room towards Copia. 

The Cardinal tensed up, taking a bigger gulp of his coffee than intended. He winced as he felt it scald his tongue and then his throat. Emeritus smirked at the effect he had on the other man. “Cardinal Copia, I trust that you’re doing well today?” He extended his arm and placed his hand on Copia’s shoulder. 

Cardinal Copia’s eyes followed Em’s hand, his lips parting, surprised by the gesture. His eyes returned to the Dark Pope’s, and he was reminded of the sting as he attempted to speak. “Thank you, yes. I hope you are as well, Papa Emeritus,” he choked out before clearing his throat. “May I…may I help you with anything, your Eminence?” 

Papa’s lips curled into a smile. “Yes, Cardinal. Would you please stop by my office this evening after dinner?” He slides his hand off Cardinal Copia’s shoulder and onto his upper arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

The Cardinal’s eyes once again followed Em’s hand, and he swallowed hard before looking at the Dark Pope. “May I ask wh-why?” 

“You may. I’m not my brother, after all!” Papa offered a chuckle as the two men looked across the room at Papa Emeritus II, who looked painfully uncomfortable as he was stuck in a conversation with his father and Sister Imperator. “Between you and me, Cardinal,” Em said in a near whisper. “If I was a better brother, I’d go save him.” Cardinal Copia grunted something that resembled an understanding laugh. “But to answer your question, I would like to pick your brain on a few topics, Cardinal Copia. I would like to hear your thoughts. We do not know each other very well, and I would like to change that. So, I will see you after dinner…?” 

Cardinal Copia hesitated before opening his mouth to say something; however, no words came out, so he settled for a nod instead. Papa’s hand was still on his arm, giving another squeeze as Copia agreed to this after-dinner visit, which distracted the shy and awkward Cardinal. “Delightful, Cardinal! I look forward to it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I shall see you later.” He gives the Cardinal’s arm one last squeeze as he winks a mismatched eye at him, and then the Dark Pope walks away, crossing the room towards his father, Sister Imperator, and Papa Emeritus II. Cardinal Copia watches as Em stretches out his arms and greets his brother. “ _Fratello_!” 

The Cardinal turned his attention inwardly and took another sip of his coffee, which had cooled to a more palatable temperature. The room was abuzz with several different conversations, and Copia did his best to shut them all out as he wondered to himself what his evening with Papa Emeritus III would bring.


	15. Papa, Interrupted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dark Pope and the Cardinal get to know each other better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My belated Christmas present to you includes a little bit of Copia thigh worship ahead ;)

The administrative stuff was Papa’s least favorite part of his position. He took a deep breath and then exhaled through his mouth as he slumped against the tufted back of his high-backed black leather chair, looking at the stacks of papers and folders piled on the desk before him. His fingers roamed absentmindedly along the brass nail accents that outlined the front of the chair’s arms as his mind drifted, first to the vote that had taken place earlier, with the Cardinal ultimately providing the deciding vote, and then to the pretty little Sister of Sin that had brought his dinner to him earlier, returning a short time ago to pick up the dishes, and then going down on him before she left his office. He swiveled slowly in his chair, back and forth, with a smirk on his face. Depending on how things went with the Cardinal, the Dark Pope considered summoning that Sister of Sin to his chambers later for a continuation of their fun. 

Papa’s mind drifted further, wishing he could’ve joined Omega and Lillian for their post-vote celebration. One of his hands wandered to his crotch, slowly rubbing his hand along the fabric, feeling himself harden under his pants as he thought about how titillating it was to watch the Aether Ghoul with this woman whose body they both knew so intimately, how erotic it was to have Omega watch as Em fucked his Quintessence Ghoul’s beloved. He wondered if he would have time to make himself cum before the Cardinal arrived, and his thought was answered by a knock at the door. “Fuck…” the Dark Pope sighed to himself, gazing down at the obvious bulge in his pants. 

Emeritus straightened his posture in the chair, pulling himself closer to the desk so his erection was concealed. He picked up his monogrammed executive pen, and studiously leaned over the document in front of him. “Come in,” he said loud enough to be heard from the other side of the door. 

The door slowly opened, and Papa watched out of the corner of his eye as the Cardinal made his way into the room, closing the door behind him before he shuffled towards Em’s desk, stopping at the front corner. “Papa Emeritus…?” he said hesitantly. 

“Ah, Cardinal! Thank you for joining me. Please have a seat,” Papa said as he motioned to the guest chairs in front of his desk without looking up. The Cardinal glanced at both chairs, indecisive about which to sit in, but deciding on the one that gave him the best view of the exit. The two men sat in silence as the Dark Pope continued to review and then sign the document before him. He set his pen on the desk, finally looking up at the Cardinal, who was still dressed in his red cassock and biretta. “How are you this evening, Cardinal Copia?” 

The Cardinal’s green eyes widened as he gazed into Papa’s mismatched orbs, the corners of his eyes slightly crinkled by the smile on his face. “I…I’m well, thank you. And yourself?” he said in a near whisper. The Dark Pope gestured to the stacks on his desk. “Busy. Trying to catch up on everything that accumulated while we were on tour,” he explained, and then chuckled. “I will also admit to not being the best at this part of my role.” 

Copia’s eyebrows rose slightly over the black paint around his eyes. “I…I could help, if you want, Papa.” 

Papa folded his arms over his chest and studied the Cardinal. “Do you have time for this, Cardinal? I would not want to…how do they say it? Stretch you too thin? Yes, that is it. I would not want for you to be stretched too thin.” 

“I would make the time for…for you,” Cardinal Copia replied, again in a near whisper, as he shyly averted Papa’s gaze. 

The Dark Pope continued to study the man before him, moving one hand to thoughtfully stroke the dimple in his chin. “I will consider it, Cardinal. _Grazie_.” The other man nodded silently. “How is your work in the library coming along?” 

The Cardinal’s eyes met Em’s again, brightening at the Dark Pope’s question. “ _Eccellente_ , your Eminence. I was able to salvage the manuscript after the _disgraziato incidente_ between the ghoul and sister of sin.” 

Papa chuckled softly. “You should be Employee of the Year for accomplishing that task, _buon signore_!” 

Copia shook his head. “So much has been lost to time and neglect, your Eminence. I feel it is my calling, _il mio scopo_ , as you no doubt feel the same about the Ghost Project. I could not do what you do, nor could you do what I do. We each have our purpose and have realized them.” 

The Dark Pope’s eyes narrowed as he listened to the impassioned Cardinal, for once speaking at an audible volume. He nodded in agreement. “Speaking of the realization of one’s life purpose, I would like to thank you for your vote today.” He placed his right hand over his heart. “It means a great deal to me that Omega will have this opportunity, Cardinal Copia.”

The Cardinal nodded in acknowledgement. “ _Prego_ , Papa Emeritus. But…but may I ask a question of you?”

Papa leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk and folding his hands in front of him. “Cardinal, I realize that I am the leader of this church, but you yourself are a high-ranking member of the Clergy. You do not need permission to ask me a question. I would much prefer if you spoke freely. As I told you earlier, I am not my brother.”

“ _Sì_ , your Eminence. Are you…are you not concerned about Omega leaving the band?”

The Dark Pope shrugged. “I am not concerned, no. It is _agrodolce_ for me, bittersweet, to see him go. But his servitude has been exemplary, Cardinal. And while he is required to do our bidding as such, it is my belief that fine work should be rewarded. Omega has earned this and will continue to be a model representative of the band and church. This is the Ghost Outreach Program, not the Omega Outreach Program, and he knows that.” 

The Cardinal nodded. “But what of other pursuits while he is out there representing the Ghost Project in a capacity that will have him living amongst humans? What if he meets somebody and wants to have a relationship?”

Papa chuckled softly. “Omega is a ghoul, one of the things that goes bump in the night; while he appears human, he is not. He will not age, so he cannot spend fifty years of his life with a mortal human without being honest about his nature. Humans are curious creatures, Cardinal. They like to _imagine_ the things that go bump in the night. They write their books. Their Stephen King. Their Alfred Hitchcock. They make their movies. Their Freddy. Their Jason. Their Swamp Thing. They scare each other as such, yet they do not truly want to _see_ the things that go bump in the night. Do you understand what I am saying?”

The other man’s brows furrowed. “I do, your Eminence. But what if…?” 

The Dark Pope sighed as he thought about his answer for a moment. “There would be many hurdles to jump in the journey to that ‘what if’, Cardinal. If this person can accept that he is a ghoul. If this person can accept his role in a Satanic church. If this person can accept his servitude to our Infernal Majesty. If this person can accept all of this and still wants to be with Omega, they will have my blessing. But this is much for a human to accept, and it would be incredibly difficult to find one with the capacity to accept that much baggage.”

“But you still carry on _relationships_ with them, your Eminence,” the Cardinal quietly replied. 

“We fuck them, yes, if that is what you mean, Cardinal,” Papa said matter-of-factly, to which Cardinal Copia shyly nodded. “Ah, well, humans are also very enticing creatures, you see. Have you ever been with a human, Cardinal Copia?” 

The Cardinal blushed as he averted the Dark Pope’s gaze. He shook his head but did not otherwise answer. “I highly encourage you to sample from our Sisters of Sin, Cardinal. I can give you names of some of my favorites, if you’d like. Or perhaps you’d prefer our Brothers of Sin? I can give you names of some of my favorites as well, if you’d like.” 

Cardinal Copia shook his head. “Thank you, but no.” 

Papa sat back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. “Are you…are you a virgin, Cardinal?” 

The Cardinal scoffed at the Dark Pope. “I most certainly am not, your Eminence,” he said indignantly. 

Emeritus chuckled and jokingly put his hands up in defense. “I meant no offense, Cardinal. It was only a question. You are very tightly wound, I can see, and sex would be very beneficial. As George Michael once said, “Sex is natural, sex is good, not everybody does it, but everybody should.” 

“Why? Are you offering, your Eminence?” the Cardinal rasped with a scowl that even Papa Emeritus II would be proud of. 

The Dark Pope shook his head, still chuckling. “Well, I suppose I’m not _not_ offering, Cardinal. I’m sure you’re aware of my reputation. I admit, it’s all true.” He leans forward as if to share something private. “And all of the rave reviews? Also true.” He winked a mismatched eye at the other man. 

Cardinal Copia opened his mouth to respond, but there were no words. He closed his mouth, stood up, and quickly made his way to the door. “You know where to find me, Copia!” Papa called after him as he watched the Cardinal’s red cassock disappear through the door, followed by the door being slammed shut. The Dark Pope shrugged to himself with another chuckle. “Well, I think that went well…”

He looked down at his crotch, seeing that the bulge had either returned or hadn’t left in the first place. “Fuck…” Papa sighed as his fingers set about undoing his belt and then working his button and zipper, reaching inside to free his rigid cock. He hissed as he wrapped his hand around his girth and began to stroke up and down along his length, but he was interrupted by a knock at the door. 

The Dark Pope chose to ignore the disruption and continued his ministrations. 

Another knock on the door. “I’m busy!” he loudly hissed, to which there was another knock in response. 

He stood up, painfully tucking himself back into his pants and making himself as decent as he could, despite the obvious tenting, and stomped his way to the door. “What is the meaning of th-“ Em scowled as he opened the door to find Cardinal Copia on the other side. “Copia…?” 

The Cardinal’s eyes wandered down Papa’s body, immediately zeroing in on the bulge in the other man’s crotch. He swallowed hard as his eyes met the Dark Pope’s hypnotic gaze. Em raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and that was all the man in red needed. 

Cardinal Copia quickly closed the gap between the two men, grabbing Papa’s face between his hands and kissing him hard. The Dark Pope pulled the Cardinal into the room without breaking the kiss, allowing the door to close behind them, and then pushing him against the door. His fingers deftly unbuttoned the Cardinal’s cassock, but there were so many buttons—not to mention the band cincture—still separating him from the other man’s body. “Why are there so many buttons?” Papa impatiently growled as he pulled away slightly from the Cardinal. 

With the same idea in mind, both men reached for the fabric, trying to tug the cassock off over Copia’s head, but in their haste, getting him tangled instead as they had failed to remove the band cincture first. Hot and bothered with his dark hair falling across his face as they struggled with the cassock, Papa gave up, leaving the Cardinal to deal with it. He dropped to his knees in front of the other man, pushing the cassock up a bit farther to give him access to the button and zipper of the black pants Copia wore under his ensemble. The Dark Pope unfastened each and pulled the Cardinal’s pants and underwear down together to the floor, helping the other man step out of them, and then discarding them to the side. 

He sat back on his heels, admiring what was before him. “Sweet Satanas, Copia…” Papa whispered breathlessly as he ran his hands down the Cardinal’s surprisingly ample and muscular thighs. “Greek sculptors couldn’t have made these any more perfect themselves.” The Dark Pope admired the way they felt under his hands before turning his attention to the Cardinal’s slightly-curved erect member, standing tall and proud. He ran his tongue along the underside of the other man’s cock; Copia moaned at the feeling, his knees buckling and almost giving way. Papa swirled his tongue around the tip before taking him completely in his mouth, bobbing up and down at a steady pace that left the Cardinal a moaning mess.

Cardinal Copia was finally able to free himself from his cassock and band cincture, tossing them to the floor, next focusing on the black button-up shirt that he still wore. Once it was unbuttoned, he removed his arms from the shirt and let it fall to the floor behind him. He looked down at the leader of the church, on his knees before him with his cock in his unholy mouth. Copia’s hands moved to push Papa’s hair back off his forehead before loosely grasping his head to guide his movements. 

The Dark Pope’s hands dropped to his own lap, painfully aware of how his dick strained against the inside of his pants. He quickly freed his member and took it in his hand, stroking himself while Copia took to slowly fucking his mouth, savoring the feeling of Papa’s hot and wet oral cavity around his member, his gag reflex non-existent. His pace increased and his thrusts became more and more uneven the closer he got to his release. The Cardinal announced that he was about to cum, and his hot seed coated the back of the Dark Pope’s throat shortly thereafter. 

Papa swallowed, and then arose to his feet, covering the Cardinal’s mouth in a hungry kiss, the other man able to taste himself on the Dark Pope’s breath. Emeritus broke the kiss, grabbing Copia’s arm and guiding him toward the desk. Papa sat in his chair, rummaging through a drawer before finding the bottle of lube he kept in there for such occasions, closing the drawer, and then coating his cock in lube before directing the Cardinal to straddle him. Copia placed one knee on each side of the Dark Pope as instructed, and he felt Papa’s lubed fingers attempting to prepare the Cardinal to take his erect member. 

“Just fuck me, Emeritus,” he rasped needily, his eyes half-lidded. Copia reached behind him, lining the Dark Pope’s cock up to his entrance, and then sinking down on it. Both men filled the room with their moans, taking a moment for the Cardinal to adjust before he started to move, rising and falling on Papa’s lap as his cock slid in and out of his hole. 

Emeritus ran his hands up and down the Cardinal’s perfect thighs, looking up at Copia as he concentrated on his movements, admiring his handsome facial features, his eyes wandering down his body to take in the thick tufts of hair on his chest and abdomen, and the slight paunch of his belly. “Too much…fuck, that feels so good…too much pasta,” he breathlessly whispered, looking down at Papa, who once again looked up at the Cardinal, locking eyes with him. “It’s perfect, Copia,” he cooed to the Cardinal. 

Papa noticed that the Cardinal’s cock had once again grown hard, standing upright between them, swaying with Copia’s movements as he continued to ride the Dark Pope. Em wrapped his hand around the other man’s unattended cock, rapidly stroking him to match the pace that the Cardinal had built up to. 

The Cardinal’s face contorted, and he grunted as he came again, his seed covering the Dark Pope’s hand and abdomen. Papa soon followed suit, filling the Cardinal’s ass with his hot cum. Copia collapsed against Emeritus, the two men kissing lazily as they came down from their orgasms. 

Papa rested his head against the back of his chair, his eyes closed. “That was _favoloso_ , Copia. It was good for you, yes?” 

The Cardinal nodded. “You were right, your Eminence,” he whispered. “I needed that.” 

The Dark Pope chuckled. “Well, let’s go to my room and see how much more you have in you, Cardinal.” 

As it turned out, Cardinal Copia had plenty more in him, his stamina able to keep pace with that of the Dark Pope himself. There was plenty more sex to be had between the two men over the next couple of weeks, with Copia helping Papa in his office on a near-daily basis as he had volunteered. They would alternate between working and fucking until the Cardinal had to leave in order to carry out his other church duties, only to return again at nighttime for their carnal fun to continue. 

The time eventually came for Ghost to resume its tour, a stretch that would keep them on the road until early summer. Papa entrusted the Cardinal with access to his office so Copia could keep atop of the Dark Pope’s affairs while he was otherwise occupied with band related activities. There was concern among the Ghouls—and especially with Omega—that Papa so blindly trusted this man. It seemed suspicious to them how he had first made himself indispensible to Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator, and had rapidly done the same to their leader. The Quintessence Ghoul implored the Dark Pope to be more cautious, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. 

Papa Emeritus III was smitten with the Cardinal, dismissing the concerns of his friends and bandmates as they didn’t know the other man like he did. Omega hoped for the Dark Pope’s sake that he was right, and that they were wrong. He knew, however, that only time would reveal which side was which.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italian translations provided by Google Translate, so if my Italian is off... *insert shrug*


	16. Guess Who's Coming for Breakfast?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lillian and Omega get some company, and end up as the entertainment for one of their guests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! _Ever Thine_ is still in the works and will be completed one of these days. This particular chapter is pretty much just smut, but it does aid in setting something up for later. So much more to come ;)

Omega’s life with Lillian had become an open secret amongst his bandmates, although they hadn’t yet met her. That, however, was about to change. 

The band was traveling from one ritual stop to the next, passing through Lillian’s city along the way, and with an off day between shows, the opportunity presented itself for the Quintessence Ghoul to introduce his brothers to Lillian, and hopefully for Lillian to talk a little sense into Papa. Omega hoped that if their leader wouldn’t listen to their concerns, that he would listen to _hers_. 

Omega teleported home after the show so he could spend the night in his and Lillian’s bed, while the rest of the band made the trip in the tour bus. The plan was to spend their off day and night at Lillian’s, and then make the final two hour leg of their journey early the next morning. 

Lillian and her Aether Ghoul spent a lazy morning together in bed, knowing their company would be arriving almost anytime. Martin was already awake and downstairs, however, so they weren’t in a big hurry themselves. The happy couple laid in bed, Lillian on her back with Omega on his side next to her, his head on her abdomen, and his arms wrapped around her as she ran her fingers through his hair. He lifted his head to look up at her. “Are you sure you’re okay with the guys being here?” 

She smiled softly and nodded. “It’ll be nice to finally meet them.” 

He returned her smile. “They’re certainly curious about you, Lil.”

Lillian giggled. “Am I going to be safe in a house with all of these ghouls?” 

Omega arched an eyebrow, giving her a mischievous grin. “I think I’m the only one you’ll have to worry about…” She watched as he adjusted himself and started to kiss his way down her stomach. “Is that so, Omega?” Without interrupting his languid trail of kisses, he looked up at her, his lust-darkened eyes telling her everything she needed to know. The Quintessence Ghoul parted her legs, and she instinctively bent and lifted them so he could properly position himself between her thighs. 

He gently separated her lips with his thick fingers, running his tongue from her entrance to her clit before pressing a teasing kiss to her mound. Lillian sat up a bit, and he scrambled to his knees, supporting himself on his arms on each side of her body as she grabbed his face, their lips crashing together passionately. Omega slowly forced Lillian back to the mattress, pinning her body under his. She felt his cock against her clit, impossibly hard and ready to go. Lillian lifted her hips, feeling his tip slide closer and closer to her opening until finally, she hit pay dirt and he slid inside of her. 

The Aether Ghoul wasted no time in building up his pace. Lillian wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as he fucked her into the mattress. Omega could feel that she was getting close, and he desperately wanted to taste her again. He pulled out, quickly moving down her body and re-positioning himself on his stomach between her thighs again, his tongue taking up an assault of her sopping cunt. He furiously lapped at her wetness, relishing in how unbelievably soaked Lillian always got for him. 

Omega’s tongue zeroed in on her clit, swirling around the sensitive flesh, making her thighs shake uncontrollably. He chuckled into her pussy and looked up Lillian’s body, enjoying the moaning mess he had made out of her. It wasn’t long before she saw stars behind her eyes, her body electrified by a mind-blowing orgasm. 

Before she had completely recovered, his cock was inside of her again. He pounded away with reckless abandon, deep and hard, until he felt her tap on his arm. Omega opened his eyes to see Lillian looking towards the door. He turned his head to find Alpha leaning against the doorway, a bowl of popcorn in his hand. He tossed a piece in the air, catching it in his mouth. “You guys are out of popcorn,” he offered with a shit-eating grin. 

Omega looked back down at Lillian, who made no effort to further cover herself despite being in the compromising position she found herself in. She narrowed her eyes at their uninvited invited guest. “You must be Alpha,” she ventured with a quirk of her eyebrow. He tossed a small handful of the cheddar cheese popcorn into his mouth. “You must be Lillian,” Alpha responded with a smirk as he chewed his snack. 

“It would appear that way,” she quipped. “Would you mind closing the door, Alpha?” 

“Would you mind if I watched? I brought popcorn for the show,” he explained before holding out the bowl in their direction. “Want some?” 

“Alpha-“ Omega began, but Lillian cut him off. “Maybe when we’re done here, Alpha. Now, would you mind?” Lillian gestured for him to close the door. 

The Fire Ghoul crossed the threshold, shutting the door behind him. “Fuck yeah…Omega, your chick is _awesome_!” Alpha crowed as he walked across the room, plopping down in chair in the corner. Lillian turned her attention to Omega, who shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Is he always like this?” she quietly asked the Quintessence Ghoul. “No, I’m usually worse,” Alpha offered with a snicker. “Papa told me to be on my best behavior. Whatever that’s supposed to mean.” He contorted his face as he shrugged. Alpha slouched in the seat and tossed one leg over the other. “Okay, I’m ready.” 

Omega raised an eyebrow at Lillian. “You sure about this, Lil?” She gave the Quintessence Ghoul a mischievous grin. “Should we put on a little show for him?” Lillian wrapped her arms around Omega’s neck. “Holy fuck, I love you, Lil,” he marveled, and then, without looking away from Lillian, he addressed his brother ghoul. “Hey Alpha, what position do you want us in?” 

Alpha contemplated for a moment. “Lillian on all fours, facing me, you fucking her from behind,” he began decisively. “Thank you for asking. I was afraid I’d have to look at your ass the whole time. Make me lose my fucking appetite.” 

Omega shook his head incredulously while Lillian giggled. “He’s unreal,” the Quintessence Ghoul grumbled with a scowl. Lillian pulled him down for a kiss, instantly distracting him as she coaxed his tongue with hers. A few moments later, they got into position: Lillian was on all fours facing Alpha as he had requested, and Omega took his place on his knees behind her. He took his cock in his hand, sliding it between her labia, back and forth repeatedly from her entrance to her clit. Alpha watched Lillian’s face, how even just this simple act almost had her eyes rolling to the back of her head, struggling to maintain eye contact with the Fire Ghoul before her. “C’mon Megs, give her that cock of yours. You know she wants it,” Alpha suggested as he leaned forward in his seat, grinning suggestively at Lillian. “You want it, don’t you? You want some ghoul cock, don’t you?” 

Lillian nodded. “F-fuck me, Omega…please!” she begged, her voice thick with need. She didn’t have to ask her Quintessence Ghoul twice. He drove his cock back inside of her, and Lillian cried out his name. Omega dug his fingers into her hips, holding her still while he resumed pounding her with the reckless abandon that had been interrupted by Alpha’s invasion of their privacy. He watched Alpha through half-lidded eyes, how the Fire Ghoul kept his eyes on Lillian as Omega drilled into her. He observed that the lead guitarist’s eyes alternated between Lillian’s eyes and her breasts, likely watching them sway under her with each of the rhythm guitarist’s thrusts. 

The Quintessence Ghoul smacked Lillian’s ass, his right hand connecting with her right cheek, leaving a red handprint in its wake. He repeated on the other side, Lillian crying out both times. His hands returned to her hips, and he continued his assault on her cunt with a slightly smug smirk on his face because he knew from Alpha’s expression that he was impressed with Lillian. 

Alpha licked his lips, his eyes briefly moving to Omega. “Fucking hell, Omega, make her come!” The Quintessence Ghoul nodded. “She’s close,” he responded breathlessly. 

The Fire Ghoul had abandoned his bowl of popcorn and was now palming himself through his pants, tending to the arousal that had formed as he watched his brother and bandmate fuck Lillian. He leaned back in his chair, and his hand soon disappeared down the front of his pants, only to emerge again a moment later. Alpha made quick work of the button and zipper before freeing his erection. He pulled his shirt up almost to his chest, spit in his hand, and then gripped his cock, stroking it rapidly from base to tip while his other hand fondled his balls. His eyes remained on Lillian, his face contorting as he worked himself towards climax. 

“She’s almost there, Alpha,” Omega panted. He could feel Lillian nearing her end, knowing it would be his end too, and he wanted to give the Fire Ghoul a chance to catch up and finish at the same time. “Fuck, so am I!” Alpha huffed through gritted teeth. “Finish her off, Omega!” 

Lillian’s eyes widened as the Quintessence Ghoul picked up the pace and intensity of his thrusts, and she noticed for the first time that Alpha was jerking off as he watched them. Before she could say anything to him, she was distracted by her own orgasm. “I’m coming, Omega! Oh-fuck-oh-fuck-oh-fuck!” she squealed. “Keep fucking me, baby! Oh fuck, right there!” Her cries of passion paired with the feeling of her walls clenching around his cock quickly led to Omega’s end. His grip on her hips tightened; there would surely be bruises from this later on, and he gave a few final thrusts before he threw his head back with a groan and released himself deep inside of her. 

Alpha wasn’t far behind, and his cum soon spurted onto his stomach, his strokes continuing until his cockhead was too sensitive for further stimulation. He took a moment to collect himself before his eyes opened again, looking at the sticky mess on his abdomen. The Fire Ghoul was distracted by Lillian’s voice. “There’s a box of tissues to your left, Alpha,” Lillian instructed as she pointed towards the small table next to the chair. Alpha glanced at the bed, seeing that Lillian had collapsed onto her stomach at some point, and that Omega had as well. He huffed out a laugh as he reached for the box, pulling out a few tissues before returning it to the table, and then proceeding to clean himself up as they watched him. He tossed the used tissues in the small garbage can at the base of the table, and then the lead guitarist proceeded to tuck himself back into his jeans, making himself somewhat decent again. 

Omega slowly extracted himself from Lillian before flopping over on his back and pulling Lillian against his side. She glanced over at Alpha, who had picked up his popcorn and resumed popping the cheese-flavored pieces into his mouth. He raised an eyebrow at her. “You guys have company waiting for you downstairs, you know,” he informed Lillian and Omega with a smirk. “So maybe you should stop fucking around and go see them.” He stood up from the chair, offered Lillian some popcorn, and then crossed the room to the door after she declined. Alpha turned back and gave them one last shit-eating grin before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. 

The Quintessence Ghoul turned his head to face Lillian. “Okay, you might also have him to worry about…”


	17. The Thin Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to unravel for Papa and Omega after a third party's suspicions are all but confirmed.

He sat alone in the tour bus lounge area, looking out into the darkness that was speckled with city and street lights. His ghouls were asleep in their bunks, worn out after that night’s ritual. But there would be no rest for Papa on this night. He leaned his head against the window and stretched his arm across the back of the sofa, sighing as he again recalled last week’s conversation with Lillian. After dinner to celebrate Martin’s 17th birthday, Omega had taken his fellow ghouls and Martin out to the garage where they had set up a makeshift jam area of sorts in the empty bay of the two-car garage, leaving Lillian alone with Papa. He had helped her with dishes before fucking her on the kitchen island, and then they sat down together in the living room. Em smiled at the thought of how Lillian had run her fingers through his hair as she loved to do, and as he loved her to do. But his smile soon faded as the conversation that followed replayed in his mind. 

He had yelled at her and had made her cry, something he had never done before. Papa felt horrible about it, a pit forming in his stomach even a week later as the scene played on loop in his memory. He was certain that Omega had put these ideas in her head, that not only had his Quintessence Ghoul turned against the Dark Pope, but that he was now actively trying to turn _her_ against him as well. Lillian had sobbed on her knees in front of him as she insisted that that wasn’t the case; they loved him and were worried about him, that it was the Cardinal’s loyalty that should be questioned and not theirs. 

He frowned to himself as he wondered who was right and who was wrong. The Cardinal maintained that Papa’s friends were turning against him by questioning his judgment, that he was the only one on Em’s side, while Omega, the other ghouls, and now Lillian insisted that the Cardinal was trying to isolate the Dark Pope from them and take advantage of him. 

In the end, she had helped him understand that their concerns were born of their love and care for him, and he was begrudgingly willing to admit that perhaps, _perhaps_ , the Cardinal wasn’t as trustworthy as he had led Papa to believe. Yet the Dark Pope still felt the sting of betrayal, a chasm forming between himself and Omega, and he slowly withdrew into himself, unsure of whom he could trust. 

***

A couple of weeks later, Cardinal Copia sat at Papa’s desk with painstakingly organized stacks of invoices and receipts piled in front of him as he worked to reconcile the Ghost Project’s expenses from the month of April. He muttered to himself as he leafed through the stacks, each from a different stop on the tour, searching for a hotel folio that he had must’ve put in the wrong stack. “Impossible,” he grumbled as he leaned back in Papa’s high-backed black leather chair, glaring at the papers before him, frustrated by this hotel folio that seemingly did not exist. 

_Unless it doesn’t exist,_ he thought to himself. But if it didn’t exist, why had they not spent that night at the hotel as planned? Not only that, if they hadn’t spent the night in the hotel, where had they stayed? 

The Cardinal sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose as he had an idea. He reached for a folder to his right that contained the bank statement from the account the Ghost Project drew its expenses from, and he pored over that month’s debits, specifically looking for something, _anything_ , that looked out of the ordinary for the date in question, finding only an expense for a gas station. Not an anomaly, per se. The tour bus surely needed fuel for their journey. He again leafed through the receipts for that day, easily locating the gas station receipt before examining the itemization. Gasoline for the bus. Snacks for Papa and the ghouls. A pair of sunglasses for somebody. He tapped his fingers on the desk, and grasping at straws, he decided to Google the location of the gas station. 

He pulled his laptop closer to him, careful as not to disrupt the surrounding stacks of paper, and typed the address listed on the receipt into the search bar. He clicked on the map to the right of the screen, and noticed that its location was off-route. The Cardinal switched to Google Earth view and zoomed in, confused when he realized that the gas station appeared to be in a residential area. Surely there had been a gas station along their plotted thoroughfare that the driver could’ve stopped at; why would their tour bus unnecessarily venture into a residential area that deviated from their planned route?

A sudden realization hit the Cardinal: a nearby city was the planned location of the Ghost Outreach Program, and he wondered if there was a link, or if it was just a mere coincidence. While it was possible for these seemingly random occurrences to be unrelated, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was putting together pieces of a puzzle, and what the finished product could ultimately reveal.

Cardinal Copia pushed himself back from Papa’s desk, rising to his feet and strolling to the door, deciding it was time to go for a walk. He had removed his black cassock before he sat down to balance the previous month’s expenses, and he briefly considered putting it back on but opted not to; it was late enough in the evening to where foot traffic around the abbey would be at a minimum, and the likelihood of running into any of his higher-ups was slim to none. Dressed in a black button-up shirt and black pants, he left Papa’s office, locked the door behind him, and mindlessly navigated the corridors with no destination in mind. Twenty minutes later, he found himself outside of the locked door of the Clergy archive room that stored an innumerable amount of records. 

He wasn’t quite sure _why_ he found himself in the massive archive room, at least not yet. Never-ending rows of file cabinets filled the room, which wasn’t really even a physical room. There was no storage facility on the planet that was large enough to store these files. A physical door led to a virtual space that contained physical files, and within this virtual space—the Clergy’s own “Cloud”, if you will—resided the files of all the souls that had been recruited by the devil’s agents. Over the past decade or so, many of the Clergy’s records had been digitized, but not these. Never these. 

The Cardinal wandered through the room, periodically pulling out a drawer to peruse its contents, always finding something to marvel at, including his own files; he had spent countless years as an agent of the devil himself before being called to service at the abbey. He had been as dedicated as an agent as he was now to his work in the library, and had been similarly principled in his approach to recruiting as Papa, except without the Dark Pope’s penchant for putting pleasure before business. Copia thought to himself that he wasn’t entirely certain that Emeritus knew of their shared history. It was something that had never been brought up in conversation, and Papa seemed to be under the impression that the scholarly Cardinal had always been holed up in a library somewhere. 

_Papa_ , Copia mused as he began to search specifically for the Dark Pope’s recruitment files, finding them about fifteen minutes later. An idea had formed in his mind during his hunt; the Cardinal recalled how he had once heard that it was Papa himself that had recruited Omega, and he burned with curiosity at the prospect of looking at the Quintessence Ghoul’s records. 

The Cardinal’s fingers skimmed through the files in the drawer that—according to the label on its front—would contain Omega’s file; his eyes widened when the file revealed itself two-thirds of the way back. He grasped the file and pulled it from where it had probably resided since the Quintessence Ghoul first became a ghoul. Copia closed the drawer, tucked the file under his arm, and left the archive room, ensuring the door was locked behind him. He then headed back to Papa’s office to continue his investigation, and in his haste, he cut his journey time in half. 

Ten minutes later, Cardinal Copia was again seated at Papa’s desk, Omega’s file open before him as he pored over the details. He was equal parts astonished and unsurprised to discover that Omega had spent his human life in the same city in which he’d be helming the Ghost Outreach Program, and the file yielded another juicy tidbit: the Quintessence Ghoul had sacrificed his soul so that his wife, Lillian, and their unborn child would survive injuries sustained in what sounded like a horrific car accident that left Omega’s human self with only minimal injuries. 

He again reached for his laptop, opening another browser window so he could do a search on Omega’s widow. He typed her name into the search bar: L-I-L-L-I-A-N P-E-R-S-N-E-R, and then clicked “search”. The Cardinal soon found himself going down a rabbit hole as he dissected her Facebook page, trying to find evidence that the Quintessence Ghoul had somehow reconnected with his human self’s family after Copia had found they lived in the same suburb as the gas station the tour bus had refueled at. He noticed that an Arvid Persner was tagged in several of Lillian’s photos, and after a quick cross reference with Omega’s file, he learned of another connection: Arvid was the rhythm guitarist’s younger brother. Armed with that knowledge, he plunged deeper into the rabbit hole, scrutinizing every photo on Arvid’s Facebook page. His search was not in vain: in the background of a very sweet picture of Arvid, his mother, and Lillian and Omega’s son, on what looked like a family celebration of the matriarch’s birthday, stood Lillian and the Quintessence Ghoul. 

The Cardinal slumped against the back of the leather chair, his fingers steepled over his chest as he considered the implications of his discovery. This was certainly punishable by death, and he wondered how wide of a net was cast by Omega’s deceit. Surely Papa himself knew about this; why else would he so ardently lobby for his beloved Quintessence Ghoul to leave the Ghost Project so he could pilot the Ghost Outreach Program? Did Omega’s fellow ghouls know about this? Did any of the former Papas know? 

He wanted to bring this to the attention of Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator, but there were too many unanswered questions at this point. Instead, he decided to get to the bottom of it himself, and he knew exactly where his investigation would start. 

***

“Fuck!” Papa growled as he tossed himself onto the leather sofa in his dressing room. He had just spoken with the Cardinal, and it had not been a good conversation. It began with his lover questioning why the Dark Pope and his ghouls had altered their original plans when they had stayed at Lillian and Omega’s after Copia had noticed the absence of a hotel folio while reconciling expenses, and it ended with Papa reminding him that while the Cardinal is his lover, it is still the Dark Pope who is the leader of the church. And furthermore, he did not appreciate the Cardinal’s line of questioning; just what was he trying to get at? They had stayed with a family that was friendly to the church, a family he had been trying to convert for many years, Papa claimed. And when the Cardinal asked the Dark Pope if he was aware that the Ghost Outreach Program was to be located in the same city in which Omega had spent his human life, Papa insisted it was all a coincidence. What was he supposed to say? 

The Cardinal hadn’t accused him of anything outright, but he had clearly done some investigating. He obviously knew things that he should not know, things that could be greatly damaging to both Papa and Omega, and the Dark Pope wondered what else Copia had up his sleeves. Even though the Cardinal had apologized for overstepping his authority and begged for Papa’s forgiveness after vowing not to look any further into the matter, the leader of the church was left with a rapidly-forming pit in his stomach. He tapped out an urgent text message to his Quintessence Ghoul, summoning the rhythm guitarist to his dressing room for a quick conversation. It was less than an hour until that night’s ritual, but this could not wait until later.

***

Omega sat on the sofa with his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands, while Papa paced around the room. “Would you please sit down, Emeritus?” he sighed to the Dark Pope as he struggled to process what Em had just shared with him. “You’re making this even worse.” 

Papa stopped dead in his tracks and spun around to face the Aether Ghoul. “Oh, _I’m_ making this worse, am I?” he hissed. “Yet you’re the one who insisted, _INSISTED_ upon setting these wheels in motion, Quintessence!” 

The rhythm guitarist’s head snapped up. “Oh, come the fuck on, Em! You know I had to explore things with Lillian. I said I would accept the consequences, and I will _still_ accept those consequences.” The Dark Pope threw his hands in the air. “But it’s not just _you_ with consequences to pay, Omega! Do you not realize that? What about me? And what about…what about your brothers?! By introducing them to Lillian, you have implicated _them_ and now they are vulnerable to possible repercussions!” 

Omega jumped to his feet and stomped over to Papa, intimidatingly hovering over the smaller man. “And what about your dear _fratello_ , Emeritus? Didn’t you enlist his help once upon a time to keep me from Lillian? And didn’t _he_ in turn enlist the aid of Alpha? Don’t you dare put the onus on me for all of this. Don’t you fucking dare,” he sneered at the Dark Pope, who surprised the Aether Ghoul by slapping him across his unmasked face. “I hate you so fucking much right now, Quintessence!” he hissed at Omega as the taller man rubbed the side of his face, momentarily stunned. 

The rhythm guitarist grabbed two fistfuls of Papa’s chasuble and shoved him against a nearby wall. “The deeper the love, the deeper the hate,” he snarled at the leader of the church. “It’s two sides of the same fucking coin, Emeritus.” 

The ghoul and the Dark Pope glared at each other, chests heaving, and it was Papa that reached for Omega’s face, pulling him in for a scorching kiss. Their mouths battled for dominance in a way they never had before, their tongues seemingly at war. The Quintessence Ghoul moaned into Em’s mouth when the Dark Pope’s hand made its way to his crotch, palming and then rubbing the quickly-forming bulge in Omega’s pants. 

Omega released Papa’s chasuble from his grasp, and the Dark Pope dropped to his knees in front of his beloved ghoul, who lifted the bottom flaps of his jacket so Papa would have unfettered access to what he sought. Em’s nimble fingers made quick work of the button and zipper before he tugged Omega’s pants and underwear down around his knees, freeing his mostly-hard cock. The Dark Pope ran his tongue along the underside of the Aether Ghoul’s length; Omega groaned above him. 

He glowered down at Papa as he wrapped his large ringed hand around his cock and directed it towards the Dark Pope’s mouth. The leader of the church looked up at Omega, his lips parting as an invitation, one that the ghoul quickly accepted as he fed Em his length. The Quintessence Ghoul’s hands moved to the sides of Papa’s head, holding him in place as he fucked his mouth, grateful for the Dark Pope’s nonexistent gag reflex. 

Papa caressed the Aether Ghoul’s balls as he picked up the pace of his thrusts, his thick fingers threading in Em’s dark hair, which he’d most certainly have to brush again before putting on his mitre and taking the stage. It wasn’t long until Omega threw his head back with a guttural grunt, his seed coating the back of the Dark Pope’s throat. He swallowed his load, and after the Quintessence Ghoul had come down from his high, his softening cock fell from Em’s mouth. 

The Dark Pope lapped up any cum that remained on Omega’s cock before the Aether Ghoul pulled up his pants and underwear and smoothed out his jacket. He helped Papa back to his feet, the two men sharing a heated gaze. “I still hate you, Quintessence,” Emeritus murmured to Omega. 

The rhythm guitarist huffed out a laugh before shaking his head. “There’s a thin line between love and hate, Em,” he sighed with a raised eyebrow as he made his way towards the door. The Quintessence Ghoul looked back at Papa with a smirk. “And I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the beginning of the end, with only a few chapters remaining. It might take me a bit due to my other WIPs, but I promise to see this story through to the end ;)


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